Like A Boomerang
by Wreckless Righter
Summary: Part II. The raft is successful and Kate must face her fate. Or does she? When Kate finally meets up with Sawyer, she's on the run. Again. Now that they're off the island, many surprises lie in store for their relationship. :: COMPLETE! Check out the third, "Once Upon a Second Chance"! ::
1. Chapter 1

TITLE: Boomerang  
CHARACTERS: Kate, Sawyer, POSSIBLY Jack  
RATED: PG-13 for the time being.

EPISODES: Set after the story "Drawn Together": The raft is successful.  
STATUS: Chapter One of….Unknown  
BETA READER: Nicki and Ben (Two of my friends that are hooked!)  
DISCLAIMER: I don't own any characters from the show LOST. I certainly don't own Kate or Sawyer. (tear tear) But I do, however, own the rights to this story and my imagination that created it.

A Kind of Long Quickie:  
So it begins! If you're a reader of Drawn Together, & you're sticking around for this, I SO love you right now :D  
And if you're not, and just reading this one, GO READ DRAWN TOGETHER! This is the sequel:P

SO! Weird title, yes? But I think it fits nicely with how this'll progress. Later on, if you don't already, you should understand the reasoning behind the title of this story.

As for the song lyrics that follow this brief note, I had to start the chapter with them. I'm sitting here listening to the song and as I listen to the lyrics, I hear Sawyer and Kate. You might too as you read them, or you might not. I just found it very fitting, but that's me.  
Read & Review pleeeeeeeease!

(((Warning))): You may not like how this begins. But please, do not flame and do not bash. It _is _only the beginning. Thanks. )

**Chapter 1**

_There's another world inside of me  
that you may never see,  
there's secrets in this life I can't hide.  
Well, somewhere in this darkness  
__there's a light that I can't find.  
Well, maybe it's too far away,  
Or maybe I'm just blind. _

So hold me when I'm here,  
Love me when I'm wrong,  
Hold me when I'm scared,  
**And love me when I'm gone.**

- **When I'm Gone **by 3 Doors Down

It had been two weeks since the raft left, and no rescue had come yet. All the hope that the survivors were once clinging to, was now fading away. But for a week, nothing ever came. Everyone was eerily quiet, just waiting. No one wanted to play golf anymore, no one was going for a swim in the ocean to relax, no one was doing anything. Not even Locke was in a cheerful mood since the raft left. Everyone was waiting. Waiting for what they all knew would never come. By the time the second week was halfway through, the island was still unusually quiet, but everyone had given up on the idea of rescue. After those two weeks of silence, they all reluctantly returned to their normal life on the island, trying to survive.

For a few days, after Sawyer's departure, Kate hid in places in the jungle, wanting to be alone, with her space. She needed time to cool off from everything; from her horrible fight with Jack; from the sickness that was recently overtaking her; from the heartbreaking leave of Sawyer. She often climbed up trees, sitting on branches, letting her legs swing freely. It was then that her mind was most clear. She was able to let her feelings for Sawyer spill out each time she was up there. Sometimes she'd cry, sometimes she'd laugh. But most of the time, she was just quiet.

When she finally was through with that phase, she was around Jack more and more. She took pains to find him sometimes. She wanted the company. Since Sawyer had revealed to everyone on the island who she really was, no one was as friendly with her anymore. (Not even Charlie!) Jack was the only one who still acknowledged her existence, even after their big fight, which turned out to be a "forgive and forget" kind of situation. Within those two weeks of silence, Jack and Kate grew close. They were no longer _just friends._ Kate knew she didn't love him, but she needed someone at the moment. Someone to hold her, and take care of her. Someone to ease her pain. And Jack happened to be right there. She knew he was no Sawyer, but he was almost as good.

They took long walks on the beach and through the jungle. When no one was awake, they sat in front of the fire together, talking into the late hours of the night. Most of the time, they weren't talking, but kissing. Although, Kate wouldn't allow herself to get too intimate with Jack. She never let it go further than kissing, but it didn't seem to be a problem for Jack. The only time they weren't together was in the morning when Kate would run off somewhere unknown, and return a few hours later. Jack never thought to question it, and Kate never brought it up with him or anyone else, for that matter. Other than that, the two were inseparable.

* * *

It had taken two and a half weeks for those on the raft to finally get spotted. It was a good thing too, because after that long, they were all on their wits' end with each other. A large luxury ship was what spotted them. It happened to be a cruise from Vancouver to Fiji, then heading back to Los Angeles. When they were picked up, they were given free access to the buffet, and a free room. Unfortunately, they all had to share the room. But soon enough, the cruise was heading to Los Angeles. They were dropped off, and sent their separate ways, after long interrogations about those still on the island, their time on the island, guesses at where the island was, etc.

The first thing Sawyer did when he got back to his house in Tennessee was lie down on his old ratty couch. It had gathered a lot of dust since he left, but he didn't care. Compared to all the hell he'd been through on the island, to feel the comfort of his couch, in his home, off the island was all he needed. He drifted into a deep sleep. Hours later, he bolted awake from the sound of loud ringing. It was the phone. He looked out the nearest window and saw it was pitch black outside. What time_ was_ it? Reluctantly, he got up and went to his kitchen to get the phone. Who could be calling him? Who even knew he was home? As he walked, he wondered how it was still working when he hadn't been able to pay the bill for at least two months. He checked the caller id – which he was also surprised to see still working – and it read "Private".

"Forget that," he groaned and let it ring.

He grabbed a beer from his fridge, neglecting the fact that it was months old. He sat in the dark kitchen at his table, holding the beer in an almost clenched hand. He kicked off his boots and sat back in the chair, letting it lean on only its two back legs, and closed his eyes. At that moment, Kate's face triggered into mind. Opening his eyes, he swung himself forward, letting the chair slam down beneath him. Damn. Even when she wasn't around she _was. _Angry, he got up, kicking the chair to the floor, and leaned his lower back against his counter. After standing there for a good ten minutes, he slammed down his beer and went back to his couch. He pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it across the floor. As he lay back to fall asleep again, the last thing he saw in his mind, was Kate's face. Again.

* * *

Back on the island, a new day dawned. It was fairly early and Kate crept around the burning embers of the fire, trying to sneak away from Jack. He awoke almost instantly, hearing the leaves crunching as she walked. She turned and saw him awake and her eyes widened. Confused, he got up. She was caught at long last.

"Where are you going?" he said softly.

"I was just going to go for a little walk," she murmured.

"I'll come with you."

"No, that's okay. You go back to sleep."

"It's all right. I'm awake now."

"I'd rather go alone," she told him. "If you don't mind…?"

He stared at her confused for a moment, then shrugged. "No."

Seeing the usual concerned look on his face, she went over to him and placed her hands gently on his face.

"I'll be back in a little while. I promise."

He nodded and she brushed her lips over his in a soft kiss. Then, she walked slowly away, leaving him standing there. As he stood, uncertain of what to do next, he realized he _really_ wanted to know why she was going for a walk so early in the morning, and why she wanted to be alone. As a part of him told him it was a horrible idea, he decided to follow her.

For the first few minutes, she was just wandering through the jungle. She was, indeed, _taking a walk_. But then she turned, and walked to the waterfall that was becoming infamous for trapping people inside the cave behind it. Jack noticed that she stood there staring at it for quite a while. He couldn't decide whether she was just staring at it blankly, or thinking about Sawyer. As she leaned against a tree, she grabbed her stomach, apparently in pain. She stumbled to her knees in front of the water and started to throw up into it.

Jack's eyes widened and he froze. He couldn't just stand there and let her be sick. He came out from the leaves and went to her.

"Kate!"

"Jack?" she looked up at him, looking absolutely miserable. "What are you doing here!"

"Are you all right?"

Her response was vomiting into the water some more. Acting on impulse, Jack kneeled down, and held her hair back from her face, placing a gentle hand on her back. When she was finally through, he looked at her, his face pale with worry.

"Relax Jack," she coughed. "I'm fine."

"Are you kidding me? After all that you're _fine_?"

She splashed her face with fresh water from another part of the pool and stood up, drying her hands on her jeans. She started walking again, toward camp, Jack keeping up with her easily.

"No one is fine after throwing up like that."

"It was probably just some bad fish or too many fruits or something," she said, clearly not wanting to go any further with the conversation.

"The only time fish will do that to you is when it's uncooked."

"Well then maybe Locke didn't cook it well enough," she replied simply.

He shook his head. "And fruits won't do that to you. If anything, stocking up on fruits gives you that kind of reaction…elsewhere in the body."

She laughed. "Jack," she stopped and looked at him. "I'm _fine_."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm walking, aren't I?"

"All right."

"It's happened so much, I've gotten used to it."

Jack stopped in his tracks. What did she just say?


	2. Chapter 2

TITLE: Boomerang  
CHARACTERS: Kate, Sawyer, Jack  
RATED: PG-13 for the time being.  
EPISODES: Set after the story "Drawn Together": The raft is successful.  
STATUS: Chapter Two of….Unknown  
BETA READER: Nicki and Ben (Two of my friends that are hooked!)  
DISCLAIMER: I don't own any characters from the show LOST. I certainly don't own Kate or Sawyer. (tear tear) But I do, however, own the rights to this story and my imagination that created it.

Quickie:  
I know what you're all thinking! And I'm not confirming anything :P  
By the way…this is NOT going to be a Jate story, but there is a bountiful supply of Jack at the moment. XD It's just going to take a few chapters before we can jump back to the Skateness. So have no fear!

**Chapter 2**

"What did you say?"

She turned around, and noticed he stopped. "What?"

"Are you saying this isn't the first time you threw up?"

"Well, only the first time today. Why?"

"What do you mean _today_?" When she didn't answer, he looked at her, hesitant to ask. "Is it just in the morning?"

"Usually…" she answered, scrunching her eyebrows.

"Kate – " he started.

"HEY! JACK! KATE!" came Charlie's voice.

They both turned and looked and saw Charlie running over to them.

"The raft!" he panted.

"What about it?" Kate asked, her heart racing. Was it back!

"It worked! The raft! It worked! We're being rescued!"

"What?" Jack's eyes widened.

"There's a ship! A ship coming in! It's huge!"

Kate and Jack exchanged glances. Kate felt her heart sink. It worked...

"We're getting rescued!" Charlie laughed, and jumped with excitement.

Kate blinked several times and looked downward. Jack looked at her sympathetically.

"Aren't you guys happy?"

"Uh, yeah. That's great news Charlie," Jack told him, trying to be as enthusiastic as possible. "But could we have a minute alone?"

"Well, sure. But you're gonna miss the ship."

"It's all right, Jack," Kate looked up at him. "We shouldn't miss the ship."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah," she said softly, after a long pause.

When they reached the beach, the ship was already anchored at the shore. People were gathering belongings, and some were already boarding. Charlie left Jack and Kate and returned to Claire's side to help with her luggage. Kate and Jack remained and the edge of the jungle, watching everyone. Jack had already decided he wasn't going to be bringing anything, and Kate knew there would be no point for her to bring anything other than Tom's toy plane. She looked over at Sawyer's tent, and fought the urge to cry.

When she looked over at the ship, she half-expected him to come off it looking for her. But he never did. She still kept the possibility that he could be on it in mind. When two men in suits walked down the ramp and onto the beach, the color drained from Kate's face. She turned around and threw herself into Jack's chest, crying. He hugged her to him.

"Kate…you don't have to go. You could stay and we could say you died in the crash."

"Right," she laughed. "Like I really want to stay on this island," she said, her head still in his shirt. She looked up at him, her eyes full of tears. "No more running," she whispered.

"Kate…"

"Don't try to talk me out of it, Jack," she sobbed. "There's no use in running anymore. It's over…"

Just then, the two men in suits approached.

"Katherine Austen?" one of them asked.

She turned around to face him, letting the tears stream down her face freely.

"You are under arrest. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to a lawyer. If you want…"

She tuned out the rest of the officer's words as he cuffed her. Jack watched her sadly. As the officers started to take her to the ship, she stopped.

"Can I have one more minute please?" she managed to ask.

When they agreed, she went over to Jack, still cuffed. She leaned into him and whispered:

"Reach in my pocket."

He did, and he pulled out the toy plane. He looked at her confused. She looked down and swallowed, then looked back up at him.

"Keep it safe for me," she whispered.

"Ms. Austen," the officer came by.

"Please," she called back to him, as she was being taken away to the ship.

He nodded, and followed behind slowly. He was stopped by another man in a suit.

"Excuse me sir?"

"Jack."

"Jack…Yes. I've been informed that there was a U.S. Marshal on this flight. Is he here?"

"Uh, no. No, he passed while we were here."

"He died here on the island, and not on the crash?"

"Yes."

"Okay. That's all I need. Thank you for your time."

"Sure."

Once on the ship, and in his own room, Jack wanted nothing more than to sleep. But as hard as he tried, he couldn't. He was consumed by too much worry for Kate. He wanted to go talk to her, but he knew that she wasn't entitled to any visitors. After a while, he came up with an idea. He went into the hospital wing of the ship and found a spare lab coat. Putting it on, he started looking for her cabin. After asking a few people, it didn't take him long to find it. It was, of course, guarded by two suited men. He walked over.

"Where is it you think you're going?" one of them asked.

"I'm a doctor on this ship. I'm checking everyone we picked up that was stranded on that island."

"A doctor already came by here," said the other.

_Damn_, Jack thought. Thinking on his feet, he added, "Yes. And I was told to run a few more tests on the fugitive," he gestured to the door. "If you don't let me do my job, I'm going to lose it."

After studying Jack, the guard agreed, "All right. You'll have to wait first. They're doing a brief interrogation."

"Fine."

After waiting silently, in the cramped hall, for fifteen minutes, the door finally opened, and out stepped yet another suited man.

"I didn't do it!" he heard Kate shout.

"You can go in," the guard told Jack.

Jack nodded and went in. He saw Kate sitting on the edge of her bed, her head in her cuffed hands. When the door closed, he went over to her.

"Kate?"

She looked up with wide, teary eyes. "Jack!'

"Shhh," he warned her, putting a finger to his lips.

"What're you doing here?" she asked softly.

"I'm here to _check up_ on you," he said with a smile.

"Jack, they think I killed the marshal!"

"What!"

"They know he died on the island and they're blaming me," she sobbed.

"Kate, that's…that's my fault."

She looked at him confused.

"They asked me if the marshal died on the plane and I told them he died on the island," he sat next to her. "I didn't know they'd use that against you."

She paused. "Well, it doesn't matter. They use everything against me."

"I can tell them what happened with the Marshal. And you won't get blamed."

"What makes you think they'll believe you?"

"Why wouldn't they?"

She just shook her head, wanting to get off the topic.

"Kate? Why wouldn't they believe me?"

"Because they'll know you were on the island too. They'll think I manipulated you to lie for me. Just like they did with every other person who tried to help me."

They were both silent for a while, except for the subtle clanking of the cuffs every now and then. Jack finally looked at her, remembering the reason he wanted to find her.

"Kate, there was something I never got to finish asking you about on the island."

She looked at him curiously, studying the distressed look on his face.

"No games. I need you to be honest with me."

She nodded.

"Did you have sex with Sawyer before he left?"

She looked downward. Of all things she thought he'd ask her, she definitely wasn't expecting that!

"Jack, what does this have to do – "

"Just answer it. I'm getting to that."

"Not _right_ before he left," she told him, deciding she didn't want to lie.

"How recently?"

"Maybe, three weeks ago? Before that whole scene at the caves."

"Three weeks…" he muttered, shaking his head and looking away.

"Why?" she asked, not liking where this was going.

"And you said the sickness was usually only in the morning?"

"Well, yeah, but – " she stopped herself, and her face paled, eyes widened. Her stomach started to tie in knots. "Jack…"

"Kate, I think…" he nodded. "I think you're pregnant."


	3. Chapter 3

TITLE: Boomerang  
CHARACTERS: Kate, Sawyer, Jack  
RATED: PG-13 for the time being.

EPISODES: Set after the story "Drawn Together": The raft is successful.  
STATUS: Chapter Three of….Unknown  
BETA READER: Nicki and Ben (Two of my friends that are hooked!)  
DISCLAIMER: I don't own any characters from the show LOST. I certainly don't own Kate or Sawyer. (tear tear) But I do, however, own the rights to this story and my imagination that created it.

Quickie:  
Let me guess: GASP! I know you all knew it was coming anyway. And I was trying so hard to not be obvious! Argh..  
But it's gonna get evil-er… But not so soon. gasp I spoke too much! Bad me! Bad, bad me!

**Chapter 3**

"_Pregnant?_" she mimicked. "No. You're wrong. I can't be…"

"It would explain the morning sickness, the reason why you're so emotional lately – "

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked angrily.

He folded his arms and looked at her.

Blushing, she looked down. "No. You're wrong. It's a lie."

"Well, I mean I _could_ be wrong. But it's very unlikely. And why would I ever lie to you?"

She sighed. "How can we be sure?"

"A simple urine test could tell us all we need to know."

She sat back disgusted. Somehow, she knew the urine test wouldn't say any different. How could she have not thought…How could she have let this happen? She could never take care of a child.

"The bathroom is out there," she pointed out, miserably.

"I'm a doctor, remember? I can authorize your use of the bathroom."

"I need the cuffs off," she tried again.

"I can authorize that too."

"How can I give you the sample?"

He paused. He hadn't thought of that. He couldn't risk sneaking back to the hospital wing. He rested his hands on his lap, and felt something in the pocket of the lab coat. He reached in and found an empty container. He looked up to her and grinned, holding the container up. She looked more worried than relieved.

Every way she tried to get out of doing this - proving that he was right - he found a way to counter. It was hopeless. In the end, she'd have to give in. _Might as well just get it over with_, she thought. She sat up on the edge of the bed again, the cuffs jingling as she covered her face again.

"All right," she mumbled.

"Just give me one minute," he said, getting up and leaving the room a little too quickly.

She sat back again, too many thoughts racing through her head. How could she be pregnant at a time like this? She was going to jail with a child? She couldn't. They'd take it away from her. It certainly couldn't go to Sawyer, with _his_ background. Her stomach flipped as she thought of him. How and when would she even be able to tell him? Maybe she shouldn't…

Just then, Jack returned to the doorway, nodding for her to come out. Frowning, she got up and headed to the door. The guard unlocked her cuffs and stood at the door of the bathroom. She started in hesitantly. Jack stopped her for a minute.

"Wash the container first," he said in a whisper.

She looked at him unhappily. While she went in, Jack waited with the guard as she did her business. When she emerged, she quickly handed Jack the container and the guard returned the cuffs to her wrists. Both she and Jack returned to her room, and she slumped onto her bed, closing her eyes.

"How long will it take?"

"It shouldn't take too long," he said, distractedly, sitting on the bed across from her.

After a few minutes, she sat up, looking downward. When Jack finally set the container down, she looked at him, both eager and nervous to know the conclusion.

"So?" she asked.

He sighed, and looked down, trying to think of how to put this in gentle words. He looked at her dreadful eyes.

"It's definite."

"How do you know?" she said, looking at the container, which seemed unchanged.

"I think I've done this enough times to know," he smiled.

She lay back on her bed, on her stomach, burying her face in a pillow. Jack got up and sat on the side of the bed, next to her. Putting a hand on her head, he realized she was crying. He ran a hand down her hair, continuously smoothing it down, trying to keep her calm.

"What am I going to do?" she sobbed, turning to him. "I can't have a baby. I can't do this. I'm not cut out for this kind of thing! And what about Sawyer? How am I going to be able to tell him? I can't!"

"Kate, calm down."

"I'm a criminal. I'm going to jail, whether I like it or not! They'll take it away from me. Not even Sawyer would have custody! They'll put it in a home! And do you know how horrible those places are?" she was speaking quickly now.

"Kate!" he put his hands on her shoulders.

"Do you?" she looked at him angrily. "They're…horrible!"

"Kate…" he repeated, softly.

She looked at him, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Relax. Okay? You'll get through this. We'll think of something."

He pulled her to him in a hug and she sobbed, wrapping her arms around him. Just then, the door swung open.

"I don't care what you say! I'm her lawyer! Johanna Evans?" shouted a female voice.

_Johanna. _Kate remembered the passport... That was kind of ironic. Jack and Kate, still hugging, looked at the door. A woman in a dark business suit, stood in the doorway, holding a briefcase. She had bright red hair, that was pulled back into a tight bun, with a few stray hairs in her face. She was fairly tall, and thin, with a light complexion. She showed signs of aging, and looked near her late thirties. Her green eyes widened at the sight of the two.

"And you are…?" she referred to Jack.

Jack released Kate, as Johanna walked toward them. "I'm a doctor on this ship. I was just giving her a check up."

"Well I'll have you know that the doctor/patient relationship is to be strictly professional. I could easily sue you for what I just witnessed."

"All right," Jack got up, rolling his eyes. He turned to Kate, who was now wiping her eyes. "I'll come back later."

"Yeah, we'll see about that," she woman responded as Jack closed the door behind him. She sat on the bed across from Kate. "Katherine Austen."

"Kate," she corrected her, her voice still wavering.

"_Kate. _Are you all right?"

"I'm fine. Just caught me at an emotional moment."

"Well don't worry, honey. We'll get through this," she assured Kate, opening her briefcase. "So was that really your doctor then?"

"Yeah," Kate said, uncertainly.

"Honey, you can trust me. You know that," she said, looking at Kate. "Nothing leaves this room."

Kate looked at her and sighed. "No, he's not my doctor. But he _is _a doctor."

"Who is he in relation to you?"

"He's…"

"A boyfriend?" Johanna offered.

Kate paused. She thought for a moment then answered, "No. He's a friend. He was stranded on the island with us."

"They gave him permission to be in here with you?" Johanna raised her perfectly waxed eyebrows.

"I guess."

"I guess being a doctor _does_ have it's advantages," she said, looking down at a few papers in her lap.

Kate laughed. "Sometimes."

"All right. Let's get down to business, shall we?" She paused a moment, looking over a few papers. "Haven't seen you for months…Being stuck on that island must have been hell."

"Yeah…"

"How ironic that I happened to be on vacation here," she muttered. "You're lucky I cut it short."

Kate smiled weakly. Then, she spotted the container on the bed behind Johanna. Her eyes widened. She prayed to god that she wouldn't find it.

"Well this is new. It says here you killed the U.S. Marshal who was escorting you?"

Kate rolled her eyes. "No. They accused me of that."

"All right. Explain to me what went down with the Marshal. Then we'll move on."

"He was wounded from the crash. He had a shard from the plane in his abdomen, and Jack – "

"Who?"

"The doctor that was in here before. His name is Jack."

"Ah. Okay, go on."

"Jack was trying his best to save him, but he didn't make it," she told Johanna, covering up all the unnecessary details.

"All right…Do you think Jack would be willing to testify and explain all that?"

"Of course he would do it. I just don't think they'll believe him."

"Why's that?" Johanna asked, distractedly.

"Because. Every other person that tried to help me, they never believed."

"_I_ believe you."

A few days passed, and Kate hadn't seen Jack again. Johanna, on the other hand, had taken to coming in the room at the crack of dawn and not leaving until dinnertime. But despite her moodiness, Johanna wasn't always so bad. She really made Kate believe that the case was going to go through well and she'd get off easy. The fourth day on the ship, when Johanna was finally through, Kate was alone for the rest of the night after that, appreciative to not be talking about her case anymore. She heard a faint knock on the door, and groaned.

"Come in," she called, lying in her bed.

Jack came in and Kate sat up, glad that he was there.

"Came to see how you're holding up," he said, with a friendly smile.

"Horribly," she smiled back.

"She said, wearing a smile…" he joked.

"I'm just glad that I have company other than Johanna for once."

"Well I can't stay too long. The guards only gave me permission for ten minutes."

"Oh."

He sat on the bed across from her. "So…how's the case going?"

"Actually, not so bad."

"That's good."

"Yeah."

"Johanna came to my cabin the other night. She asked me to testify for the Marshal issue."

"Oh. She didn't tell me she was actually going to have you testify," Kate said, kind of surprised. "Just kind of mentioned it as an idea."

"Did you tell her about…" he looked at her stomach.

"Oh. Well by the second day when she came in at the crack of dawn, she kind of figured it out on her own."

"Did she have any ideas about that?"

"No. She said we should work on the case first, and worry about what my penalties will be before I should decide what to do about a baby."

"Well if nothing, you have a good lawyer."

She smiled weakly. "Where have you been the past few days? You said you were going to come back."

"Yeah. I've been busy. Everyone's been dragging me down to celebration parties…"

"Oh."

"Yeah," he laughed. "Charlie was actually singing the other night."

"Wow. That's…good, I guess."

"For him, maybe. Shannon threw her shoe at him because he wouldn't stop."

"Hopefully not one of her heels," she joked.

"It was a flip flop."

"Okay. I don't feel _so_ bad then."

He laughed. "As it turns out, there was a whole other crew of people on the other side of the island."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I actually met up with a person I had shared drinks with before we boarded the plane," he said, careful to replace _girl_ with _person_.

"That's lucky. So, um, not to get off topic, but do you know when we'll be back in Sydney?"

"Well…Tomorrow morning."

"Oh," she raised her eyebrows, regretting asking.

He looked down at his watch. "I'm sorry. I have to go before they come arrest me."

She looked at him, with a frown. He looked at her sympathetically.

"Sorry…I didn't –"

"No. It's okay. Just go."

He started for the door, but then stopped. He turned around and walked back to her, reaching into his pocket.

"This is yours," he said, holding the toy plane out to her.

She looked down at it. "I told you to hold onto it for me."

"You said yourself the case is going good. Why wouldn't it be safe with you?"

She shook her head and turned away, refusing to take it. For some reason, she felt like if she took it back, it would mean that they were done. It would mean that Jack wanted to move on, away from her. She turned her back to him, lying curled up on the bed. After putting the plane gently on the little table next to her, he walked out. She turned back and saw it on the table. Why did she get the feeling that the person he was talking about sharing drinks with wasn't male?


	4. Chapter 4

TITLE: Boomerang  
CHARACTERS: Kate, Sawyer, Jack  
RATED: PG-13 for the time being.

EPISODES: Set after the story "Drawn Together": The raft is successful.  
STATUS: Chapter Four of….Unknown  
BETA READER: Nicki and Ben (Two of my friends that are hooked!)  
DISCLAIMER: I don't own any characters from the show LOST. I certainly don't own Kate or Sawyer. (tear tear) But I do, however, own the rights to this story and my imagination that created it.

Quickie:  
Boohahaha! The disintegration of JATE! Sorry Jaters, but as cute as they may look together, I'm a SKater at heart.

**Chapter 4**

A few hours after his last visit, Jack came back to say good-night to Kate. Instead, he ended up staying for an hour more than he meant to, and they got into a conversation about the pregnancy and Sawyer.

"How do you forgive someone who held a gun to your head, Jack?" Kate asked.

He didn't answer.

"You can't," she told him. "It's like forgiving someone who raped your kid and inviting them in for coffee! It just wouldn't work."

"All I'm trying to say, Kate, is that sometimes you need to give people more than one chance."

"But this is _Sawyer_. How many chances could I possibly give him!"

He stood. "He's the father of your baby, whether you like it or not. He deserves that much."

He left her on that note. It was strange to hear Jack suddenly defending Sawyer. It had to be the doctor in Jack coming out. If there was one thing she knew, it was that once she got off the cruise, she never wanted to hear the name "Sawyer" again. Just as she fell into a deep sleep, as luck would have it, she was jerked awake a few hours later.

"Ms. Austen."

"What?" she moaned, groggily.

"The interrogators would like to speak with you again."

"Now?"

"Well you've been so busy with Ms. Evans, that _now_ seems to be the only free chance they've got."

She opened her eyes and found herself face to face with one of the guards. Remembering where she was, she forced her eyes closed again.

"All right," she said, making herself sit up.

"Let's go," he helped her up.

Feeling strangely queasy – unusual for her to at night – she stumbled out to the hallway.

"I need a bathroom stop," she said, warningly.

"You can wait," he said, sternly.

She stopped herself and turned around looking at him firmly.

"Unless you want me to throw up on you, I highly suggest you let me go to a bathroom. NOW," she told him, firmly.

His eyes widened at first, but then his face formed into a malicious grin.

"You got three minutes, princess."

She felt even worse now, being called "princess". It was too much of a reminder of Sawyer. She ran into the bathroom, not waiting a moment longer to be sick. She stood and stared in the mirror, seeing tears already forming. She broke down, slumping down against the wall. Why did everything have to remind her of him! She was in a living hell. A loud bang on the door disrupted her.

"Time's up!"

She got up from the floor, trying to pull herself together.

"Okay," she said, trying to keep a strong voice.

She went to the sink and splashed some water on her face, and left the bathroom to go the late night interrogation. Luckily, it only lasted for an hour, and she drifted right back to sleep once back in her bed.

* * *

It was very early in the morning that the door to Kate's cabin swung open, letting the light from the hallway flood in. She opened her eyes, blinking away the pain of the brightness. She looked and saw a dark figure coming toward her. Instead, it sat on the bed across from her. At first, Kate thought it was Jack.

"Kate?" said a female voice.

"I guess you're not Jack, then," Kate muttered.

"What?"

"Nothing. Who is that? Johanna?"

"Yeah. It's me. I have some news for you."

"What time is it?" Kate asked, rubbing her eyes.

"Almost four," she said, as Kate groaned. "I know. I was woken up too by the _lovely_ little gadget called a cell phone! Who knew it would be the next generation of alarm clocks…"

Kate laughed. "So what's going on?"

"Well, my boss just called, and told me he got a call from the judge."

"That's not good, right?"

"Let me finish. The judge told my boss – who in turn told me – that there were too many cases and they were backed up at the moment. Yours won't reach them just yet. At least not for another three months."

"Oh. _Great_," Kate said, sullenly.

"Actually, it _is_ great."

"What do you mean?"

In response, Johanna dangled the keys to the cuffs in front of her, causing them to make a clanking noise. Kate's eyes widened.

"You're a free woman for the time being."

Kate sat right up, removing her covers, letting her legs swing freely over the edge of the bed.

"Oh my god…"

"It's only temporary. But – "

"But I'm legal for three months? You don't know how good this is to hear! I have to tell Jack."

"Well, I would wait a little while. You don't want to wake him up."

"No. Jack will definitely want to hear this," she said, standing up, and tying her hair back into a ponytail. She glanced at Johanna, slyly, "If only I knew which cabin he was in…"

Johanna laughed. "I'm guessing this is where I come in, huh?"

"Well…only if you want to."

"Cabin 4815. It's near the hospital wing. And isn't that irony for you?"

"Yeah." After Johanna un-cuffed her, she dashed to the door. "Oh. Johanna, thank you."

She laughed. "No problem, honey."

Despite the fact that she was only in a t-shirt and sweat pants, Kate walked quickly down all the halls looking for his cabin. It didn't matter how she looked now. All she wanted was to find Jack and tell him, and kiss him forever. But the ship was like a maze, and was even harder to go through in such dim lighting. She got quite lost for a while, but eventually, she saw doors reading 4808 and 4810. Quickly, she found her way to 4815. She knocked a few times, but there was no answer. A little worried, she knocked again, but there was still no answer. She turned the handle and luckily, it was open. She walked in and saw his back. He was fast asleep, which answered the question as to why he hadn't answered the door.

She crept over, smiling, and sat on the edge of the bed next to his back. She shook him lightly.

"Wake up," she whispered. "Jack…Wake up."

'What?" he moaned.

"I have some good news!" she whispered, excitedly.

He turned on his back and saw her. His eyes widened in horror.

"Kate! What are you doing here?"

But she wasn't looking at him anymore. Instead, her eyes were focused on the female body lying beside him, fast asleep.


	5. Chapter 5

TITLE: Boomerang  
CHARACTERS: Kate, Sawyer, Jack  
RATED: PG-13 for the time being.

EPISODES: Set after the story "Drawn Together": The raft is successful.  
STATUS: Chapter Five of….Unknown  
BETA READER: Nicki and Ben (Two of my friends that are hooked!)  
DISCLAIMER: I don't own any characters from the show LOST. I certainly don't own Kate or Sawyer. (tear tear) But I do, however, own the rights to this story and my imagination that created it.

Quickie:  
Aww. Poor Jack and Kate.  
NOT!  
And I know after you read this you're gonna be like "How the heck did _that_ happen?"

Or at least I would be…

**Chapter 5**

She turned her attention from the woman, back to Jack, with a glare. She started to get up, but Jack caught her arm, pulling her back on the bed.

"Kate, wait. I can explain."

She sat with her back to him, not wanting to hear it. "I don't want to hear your explanation."

"Kate…"

"Don't _Kate…_ me, Jack."

She got up again and started to head out. Jack got up and followed her into the hallway, even though he was only in his boxers.

"Wait. Please."

"Why should I wait for you, Jack? For what?"

"You need to listen. I didn't mean for this to happen."

"But you did. Or else it wouldn't have."

"Look. She's just someone I met while having drinks – "

"Oh! She's _just_ someone. She's _just_! _Just_ like me! _Just _like I'm _just_ Kate! And you're _just_ satisfying your needs and throwing her out too?" Kate snapped, and started walking again.

"No! I'm not just throwing her away."

"Of course not! You're just throwing _me_ away!" Kate stopped and turned around sharply. "But she's _just_ a person. Or is she an important person?"

He didn't answer her.

"Is that why you didn't come back?" she looked down, and swallowed. "She's more important than me?"

He still didn't answer, but his flushed face gave it away. She shook her head and started walking away again.

"Kate!"

She turned around, her eyes narrowed. He shrugged, and threw his hands in the air.

"I'm sorry."

She turned back around sharply and started walking. Then she stopped, abruptly. She turned around facing him again, and took a deep, shaky breath.

"I just…I wanted to tell you. You're right. I do have a good lawyer. I'm free for a few months."

"That's great."

"Yeah," she half-laughed, half-sobbed. "Yeah, it is."

Repressing her tears, she went back to her room, slowly, miraculously finding her way to it quicker than she found Jack. Johanna was gone, and she slumped onto her bed. She felt as if she could cry, but she didn't. After all, how could she be upset over someone she didn't really love anyway? It was pointless. But still, it hurt. She felt as if she wasn't good enough for _anyone_ now. If Jack was even tired of her, then what hope was left? She had lost Tom. She had lost Sawyer. She had lost Jack. She lost them all.

She stared at the ceiling all morning, not falling back asleep. She wasn't thinking about anything at all. Her mind was completely blank. When the morning sickness struck again, she snapped out of it and found her way to a bathroom. After that, she went back to her room and got dressed. For the rest of the time, she sat on her bed, her back against the wall, her knees up, holding the toy plane. A little while later, Jack arrived at her door, which was open.

"Her name is Ana-Lucia, if you were curious."

Kate looked up at saw him. She stuffed the plane in her pocket and sat forward.

"What do you want, Jack?"

"To say good-bye," he said, cautiously going into the room. "We're going to be there in a half hour. I figured I'd get all the goodbyes in while I can."

"And you start with me?"

"End, actually. I said good-bye to everyone else already."

"Oh."

"Kate, I really am sorry."

"You know, I don't know that you are. I mean, you're playing the flip flop game."

"The what?" he laughed.

"First you love me, then you don't. Flip flopping…"

He shook his head, sitting across from her. "It wasn't like that. I _did_ love you. But then you didn't love me back, so what's the point of trying for something you can't ever have? And then Sawyer left and there you were, coming to me. Of course you were. Needing a shoulder to lean on. And what was I to do? Turn you away? I couldn't. But I never thought it was real, Kate. And I know it wasn't for you."

She looked at him sadly, knowing he was right, then looked down.

"It was just a distraction. _We_ were just distractions…for each other."

She didn't say anything, just kept looking at the floor.

"I'm glad you're free, by the way."

"Only for a short time," she responded, looking over at the open door longingly.

"Well now that you have it…" he stopped, hesitant to go on. "You know what you need to do."

She looked at him, alarmed. "Why does he need to know? I mean if I get rid of it, he won't –"

"Get rid of it?"

"Jack, you know I can't keep it. It's only a matter of time before they lock me up."

"How do you know that? How do you know that they won't forget about your case?"

She shook her head. "I _can't_ keep it."

"Even better, if they see you're pregnant, they might let you off easy to raise the child."

"Right," she laughed. "A criminal mother. They wouldn't allow it. Everyone thinks it, but it never happens."

"You never know."

"Please. Don't make this any harder than it already is."

"Well whatever you decide, you still need to tell him."

"He doesn't need to know…" she said, almost whispering.

He stood up. "Good-bye, Kate."

As he started to walk to the door, she got up and went over to him. She hugged him tightly.

"Bye, Jack," she whispered.

When she finally released him, he kissed her forehead and left. She watched him leave, then sat back on her bed. He _did _need to know…But how could she tell him?

* * *

A faint knocking on the door unusually stirred Sawyer from his sleep. Whoever it was, he didn't care. He wasn't getting up yet. The knocking didn't stop and he didn't move, except to look at the clock – 12:30 PM. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore. He got up and started to stretch, when he realized the knocking had stopped.

"Aw what the hell!" he muttered, now frustrated that he couldn't fall back asleep.

Whoever had woken him up wasn't going to get away that easily. He swung the door open and did a double take, unsure if he was really seeing things or not. When he opened the door, he saw Kate, walking away. She turned around, just as the door opened, and there stood Sawyer, shirtless and only jeans, as always.

The morning sun shone in her hazel-grey eyes, making them seem to sparkle. He couldn't take his eyes off her – she held a mesmerizing gaze. She was flushed, her hair was a wild mess. Her eyes were puffy, showing traces of crying. There was a torn hole in her jeans, and it looked as though she fell in the mud. At the moment, she couldn't look worse. But to Sawyer, she looked as beautiful as ever.

"Hi," she finally said, strangely. When he didn't say anything, she added, "How are you?"

"Um…" he stammered. "I don't…really…know."

"I, um, I don't suppose I could use your bathroom?" she asked, clutching her stomach.

He looked at her in disbelief. "Are you serious, Freckles?"

"If I said _please_ would you let me?"

"Maybe," he grinned.

"Okay, then, Please?" she said, quickly.

He sighed and nodded his head toward the house.

"Thanks," she smiled gratefully, and went inside.

It was a smile that broke his heart. Sighing, he went in after her.

"It's on your left," he called, closing the front door behind him.

As he walked into the kitchen, he grabbed his blue button down shirt from the back of a chair. He put it on, neglecting to button it. He argued in his mind whether he wanted coffee, or a beer. Or maybe Whiskey? He'd need something good to get through _this_. In the end, he decided to be safe with the coffee. Who knew what could happen? After waiting ten minutes, pretending to read an old newspaper, he got up and walked to the doorway of the living room. He was met with Kate, who looked pale and tired.

"Thanks," she said, awkwardly.

Offering her a seat in the kitchen, he took one himself. She sat and saw the coffee cup and smiled to herself.

"Wouldn't have pegged you as a coffee drinker," she teased.

Moving the cup aside, he looked at her curiously.

"I'm guessin' you didn't come here just to use my bathroom?"

Her smile faded. She couldn't do it. Not now. It was bad enough just seeing him, and still getting chills. She got up looking downward, then back up to him.

"Actually, yes," she lied.

He raised his eyebrows in shock. Was she kidding right now? She had marched back into his life, out of nowhere, and she was going to run again! No. Not this time. He wouldn't let her. She started out the front door, leaving him standing in the doorway. She turned to him sadly, at a loss for words. She turned around and started walking away slowly. Panicking, he tried desperately to think of something to say.

"You never said good-bye!" he called out.

She turned around, her eyes wide, and the corners of her mouth turning slightly upward.


	6. Chapter 6

TITLE: Boomerang  
CHARACTERS: Kate, Sawyer, Jack  
RATED: PG-13 for the time being.  
EPISODES: Set after the story "Drawn Together": The raft is successful.  
STATUS: Chapter Six of….Unknown  
BETA READER: Nicki and Ben (Two of my friends that are hooked!)  
DISCLAIMER: I don't own any characters from the show LOST. I certainly don't own Kate or Sawyer. (tear tear) But I do, however, own the rights to this story and my imagination that created it.

Quickie:  
It's the chapter for explanations. Somewhat…  
And I'm so sorry this took so long. I've been uber busy and I have a lot of other chapters typed up. So the more you review, the quicker the chapters go up! Because reviews means you read it. And I like to make sure everyone's read the chapter before posting a new one. Kay:-)

**Chapter 6**

They were back in the kitchen sitting at the table, a new coffee cup accompanying Sawyer's.

"How long ago you get off that ship?"

"A week ago. Maybe less. I'm not sure. I'm a fast traveler."

He nodded, and they were awkwardly quiet.

"How long were you on the water before you were spotted?" Kate asked, absently turning her cup around and around.

"Two weeks," he said, after taking a sip of his.

"You guys were really out there that long?"

"Yep. By the time they found us, I swear I was ready to strangle the kid. Wouldn't shut up!"

She laughed. "Well, he's a kid. They all talk a lot."

"Kids…" he muttered. "Huh. I'll be damned if I ever have one."

Quickly, she took a sip of her coffee, trying to keep her cool. Unfortunately, she drank too fast and started coughing. He patted her back gently, and her back, as a reflex, arched with chills. He pulled away, looking at her curiously. When she finally stopped coughing, her face was bright red.

"All right now?"

"Yeah," she looked at her cup.

"What was that about?"

"What do you mean?" she said, pretending not to know.

"Don't play dumb, sweetheart. 'Cause I know you ain't."

"I just drank too quickly," she told him. It was partially the truth, even though it wasn't what he wanted to hear.

"Hm."

He sat back, not believing her, but he didn't feel like questioning it right now. Then something hit him.

"So why ain't you locked up, Freckles?"

Her face flushed, and her eyes seemed to crystallize. Even before he asked, he knew the answer.

"You run again?" he asked in a soft, cold voice.

She took an unsteady breath and that was all he needed to know.

"And what? You came here looking for help? 'Cause you sure as hell ain't gettin' it from me. So let's hear it, Freckles."

"I didn't come here for help. I came because there's something I need to tell you," she said, her voice gradually losing strength.

"What's that? You and Jack-O getting hitched? From what I heard, you and him were pretty cozy after I left. You wanna invite me to your wedding?"

"No. I didn't say –"

"Don't tell me you're here to say you're sorry, sassafras," he interrupted.

"Sawyer, I – "

"'Cause if that's the case, I don't wanna hear it."

"I'M PREGNANT!" she blurted out, then lowering her head to the table, forcing herself not to cry.

He was quiet, trying to register what she just told him. He wanted to ask, although he was sure of the answer.

"Why would this interest me? Shouldn't you tell _him_?"

"It's not like that, okay?"

"Oh no?"

"I never had sex with him!" she shouted, and it echoed through the whole house. "Never," she repeated quietly, looking right at him.

And there it was. The answer he'd expected. He didn't want to believe it though. So he asked, "And how would I know you ain't lyin'?"

She almost laughed. "Are you kidding me?"

He looked at her curiously. She looked down at her cup, in disbelief of what she was about to tell him.

"I can't lie to you. You're the only one who can see through it."

"Well, golly! Now I feel special!" he said sarcastically.

She looked at him angrily, and then shook her head and got up. She walked to the doorway to the living room, and leaned against it, her arms folded.

After taking another drink of coffee, he slammed the cup down and sighed. He pushed his chair back and went over to her. Putting his hands on her shoulders, he turned her around. She wasn't crying, as he expected, but her eyes were the saddest he'd ever seen. She swallowed and looked down.

"For the record," she looked up at him. "I _am_ sorry."

He looked at her the exact same way he looked at the letter he'd been carrying for years.

"All right," he whispered.

She looked down again, and he dropped his hands from his shoulders. After a few minutes of the two standing there like that, Sawyer disappeared around the corner of the kitchen. When he came back, he had a bottle of whiskey, already opened. She looked at him. He held the bottle out to her, and she looked at it for a minute.

"Hell! Why not celebrate?" he said, sarcastically.

She took the bottle from him, taking a large swig of it. He laughed as her face scrunched from the taste. He smirked, amused by the look on her face.

"How old is this?" she coughed.

"Could be from the colonial times. How the hell should I know?"

Wiping her mouth, she grimaced. "Then why drink it?"

"Whiskey _never_ goes bad," he grinned.

"Oh," she coughed again. "I beg to differ."

"That's fine. You're entitled to your own opinion," he took another drink, and sat at the table again. "And anyway, you shouldn't be drinking."

"That's if I were to keep it," she said, sitting across from him, smiling at his concern.

He lowered the bottle from his lips, looking at her like she was crazy.

"What do you mean?"

"I can't keep it. It won't work. You know that."

"Why not?"

"Please, Sawyer. You said yourself you hate kids."

"Well…I was just – "

"Not to mention I'm a criminal. _And _I'm on the run again."

"See now that's a story I'd like to hear. How the hell'd you get all the way here to Tennessee?"

"It's a long story."

"And we got all the time in the world, Freckles!"

She sighed. "Well first off, I was supposed to be free for a few months."

"How's that work?"

"Too many cases. They were backed up, and my case was on the waiting list."

"Then how the hell are you on the run again?"

"You're gonna laugh at me," she smiled, blushing.

"No, I won't," he promised, but wearing a grin, thinking of how adorable she looked when she blushed.

"Well…once we got off the cruise, I set out to come here. To tell you about…" she looked down at her stomach, unable to say it. "Yeah…Anyway, I went from Sydney to LA and then started through the country to get here. But in Texas, some guys were trying to hit on me."

He laughed.

"See? I told you you'd laugh!"

"What'd you do? Kick their asses and run?"

"Actually, yeah," she blushed more. "Well…kind of."

"You beat 'em up for hittin' on you?" he laughed. "I better just back off right now, then!"

"Shut up," she shook her head, smiling. "I didn't beat them up for hitting on me. I beat them up because one of them realized who I was and grabbed my arm, trying to drag me to the police station."

He had stopped laughing and looked at her seriously now.

"He had me about a mile away from it. I tried beating my way out of his grip, but he only gripped tighter. By then, I was pissed and I kicked all their asses. Pretty badly," she looked down. "I think one of them had a head injury."

"Christ," he muttered.

"I didn't mean for it to happen. But I wasn't taking my chances with my case being resolved quicker."

He looked away.

"It's only a matter of time before they go to the police and report it," she said, quietly. "By then, my case will probably be the highest priority. And they'll be searching all over for me again."

After a long silence, Sawyer took another swig of Whiskey and set the bottle on the table, toward her. She stared at it, but never made a move to take it.

"So what happened with Jack? I'd of thought you'd be with him if you were free."

She shook her head, looking even sadder. "He never wanted me."

"Could've fooled me! The way he was on the island?"

"Not after you forced me to tell him I didn't love him. He gave up on it after that. Even when we did get close after you left. It wasn't real. It wasn't like –" she stopped herself from going any further.

_Us, _he guessed, silently. She looked at him, then back down at the table, tears suddenly streaming down her face.

"I was so sure you weren't going to leave," she told him. "And then when you did…"

"I did what I had to do," he said, coldly.

"But you just left me there. You didn't even come back on the cruise."

"Why should I have? You wanted Jack!"

"I never wanted Jack! Jack and I were friends! Nothing more! How many times do I need to tell you?"

"Friends that kissed? More than once?" he snapped.

"First off, he kissed _me_!"

"And you kissed back, princess! If that ain't cheatin' then I guess I'm livin' in another world!"

"It was a mistake! People do make them, in case you haven't noticed! I'm sure even _you_ made a few mistakes!"

He looked away angrily, remembering the night he killed Frank Duckett.

"The point is, I didn't feel anything when I was with him. It wasn't ever the same as…" she swallowed and looked up at him. "As you…"

He got up suddenly, the chair almost falling to the ground. She turned around and watched him walk out of the kitchen, into the living room, then heading up the stairs. She watched the empty stairs for a few minutes, but he never returned. Finally, about twenty minutes later, he came back, fidgeting with a package of cigarettes, and a lighter.

"Had to find my smokes," he told her, walking back into the kitchen.

"It took that long?"

"I ain't that organized."

"_That_ I'll believe."

"So," he said, lighting the cigarette and inhaling. "Where you headed next?"

She quieted. Was this his way of telling her she couldn't stay here? That was odd. Because she could've sworn that a few weeks ago he'd told her he loved her. But now, suddenly, he just wanted to get rid of her.

"I haven't really thought about it. I guess I should be heading out soon though."

"What's the rush?"

Okay, now he was playing games with her mind, and it was getting on her last nerve. Did he want her or not?


	7. Chapter 7

TITLE: Boomerang  
CHARACTERS: Kate, Sawyer, Jack  
RATED: PG-13 for the time being.

EPISODES: Set after the story "Drawn Together": The raft is successful.  
STATUS: Chapter Seven of….Unknown  
BETA READER: Nicki and Ben (Two of my friends that are hooked!)  
DISCLAIMER: I don't own any characters from the show LOST. I certainly don't own Kate or Sawyer. (tear tear) But I do, however, own the rights to this story and my imagination that created it.

Quickie:  
Bum bum bum!

**Chapter 7**

"No rush," she replied. "I just didn't think you'd want me hanging around here that long."

He didn't say anything, but let out a puff of smoke. Curious now, Kate couldn't control herself anymore.

"_Do_ you want me here?"

After being quiet for a few minutes, he finally spoke. "I'm hungry."

Her shoulders slumping, she decided to leave it alone. "Yeah. Me too."

"If you want, I know a place we can grab some breakfast," he said, getting up.

"Isn't it a little late to get breakfast?"

"You can get breakfast at three in the afternoon here."

She shrugged. "Oh."

"Look. I'm gonna go shower. Can I trust you not to ransack my house?"

She smiled. "Maybe."

"I find anything missing, I'm comin' after you," he said with a grin, heading up the stairs.

She walked to the doorway of the living room and followed him with her eyes. When she heard a door slam upstairs, she looked around the living room. It was nothing special. It had a rustic wooden look. He had a ratty old couch and two cushion chairs on either side of the couch. Across from the couch was a large TV, and coffee table separating the two. On the other side, there was a fireplace, looking as though nothing had burned there in ages. She noticed there were a few things on the mantle above it. She wandered over to look. There was a few opened envelopes, his keys, a small open bottle of some kind of alcohol, and a small black book. Curious, she took the book from the mantle and flipped through it.

It turned out to be a phone book. Each page was crammed with names and numbers and little notes. She skimmed through. Garrison…Hibbs…Jessie…Julia…Kendra….Lisa… She saw a recurring theme of female names up until she reached the Qs. Were these really all the women that Sawyer had "worked" with? Why did he still have the book anyway? She browsed through a little more, then found a paper wedged in the back of it. She pulled it out carefully and read: _The Parlor – 2AM: Hibbs & Lloyd. _At the bottom, she saw scribbled, _Lloyd's vacation cut short._

"Better not have torn my house apart!" he called from upstairs.

Startled by his voice, she dropped the book and the paper.

"Don't worry! It's not _that_ bad!" she called back to him, trying not to be obvious.

She then bent down to pick the book and paper back up. She tucked the paper back into place, and put the book back on the mantle. She didn't know exactly what Sawyer did, but after reading that paper, she wasn't sure she really wanted to know. For some reason, she didn't think anything good could come of Lloyd's shortened vacation. She walked away from the mantle and sat on the couch. Just as she did, a few whirls of dust rose from it. She coughed, and waved it out of her face. Just how old _was_ this house and everything in it?

Finally, she heard the stairs creaking and saw Sawyer coming down. He had managed to get jeans on, of course, but no shirt. His hair was still dripping down his back and chest. She looked at him, teasingly questioningly.

"I ain't got a clean one up there!" he reasoned.

"I didn't say anything," she laughed.

"Yeah, whatever," he said, walking into the kitchen through to the pantry.

She hadn't noticed before, but in the pantry, there was a washing machine and dryer. She was both shocked and amused that he actually _did_ his laundry. When he came back into the room, he had a white t-shirt that read "Wife Beater" on it. She looked at the shirt strangely.

"Are you seriously wearing that shirt?"

"What's wrong with it?" he looked down at it.

"Wife beater?" she laughed. "People are going to think you beat _me!_"

"Don't get carried away, Freckles. I know you wish you were, but you ain't my wife," he grinned.

"Thank god," she muttered, jokingly.

"So what _were_ you doing down here?" he looked around, suspiciously.

"Noticing how dusty all your furniture seems to be," she said, getting up from the couch.

"Haven't gotten around to gettin' new ones yet."

"Well you might want to start considering…" she teased.

"Har har. Let's go."

"Think maybe I could wash up a bit first or something?"

"Fine," he said, annoyed and hungry. "Just don't tell me you're one of them girls who take hours to get ready?"

"Okay. I won't tell you," she joked.

He sighed, and went back into the kitchen, putting the coffee cups in the sink. He wasn't waiting long when she came into the kitchen. Her hair was no longer a mess, but pulled back into a neat, tight ponytail. He could see that she had obviously washed her face, but her jeans still had the tear and mud at the bottom. He thought she looked even prettier than before. She shrugged, and he got up, grabbing his keys from the mantle. He started out the door, and she followed him around to the side of the house. That's when she saw the beat up old thing that was his truck.

"You're kidding, right?"

"Looks can be deceiving, darlin'."

"_That_ actually works?"

"It runs just fine."

They both got in the truck, and he started it. It would have been fine, except the truck didn't want to cooperate. Instead of starting, it stalled.

"Oh come on!" Sawyer shouted.

"Runs just fine, huh?" she teased. "Might want to consider a new truck…"

"Shut up," he said, angrily. "Come on…Start!"

Finally, after ten minutes of trying, it started.

"Haha! I knew you had it in ya, you piece of crap!"

Kate shook her head, and laughed, looking out the window. _Men and their toys._ They pulled out of the driveway and started down the dirt road. It was a quiet drive. Kate spent the ride looking out the window at everything around. Sadly, it was mostly trees. When they reached the town, she looked at all the shops. He pulled into a parking lot and she looked up at the name of the place – _The Parlor_. Her eyes widened, and she hoped to god they weren't going in there. He turned off the car and pulled the keys out of the ignition.

"Um, maybe I shouldn't have come. I mean what if someone recognizes me?"

"No one will. Half the people here don't even watch the news. And the other half is asleep when they _are_ watching it," he told her, getting out of the car and walking to the front of it. When she didn't come out, he went over to her side, and opened her door, leaning on it.

"You got a good chance of 'em not recognizin' you."

"But still. It's risky," she said, her legs already hanging out the door despite herself.

"Chances are the only people in there are a few waitresses and two old guys readin' the mornin' paper. Now come on," he said, holding his hand out to her.

She looked at his hand, longingly, and sadly. It was the first time since she'd gotten there that seemed to show he still cared for her. She smiled to herself.

"Okay."

She took his hand as he helped her down from the truck and they walked into the restaurant.


	8. Chapter 8

TITLE: Boomerang  
CHARACTERS: Kate, Sawyer, Jack  
RATED: PG-13 for the time being.  
EPISODES: Set after the story "Drawn Together": The raft is successful.  
STATUS: Chapter Eight of….Unknown  
BETA READER: Nicki and Ben (Two of my friends that are hooked!)  
DISCLAIMER: I don't own any characters from the show LOST. I certainly don't own Kate or Sawyer. (tear tear) But I do, however, own the rights to this story and my imagination that created it.

Quickie:  
Right then. So there's a shocker or two in this one. But I don't find it shocking. Okay well just don't yell at me for it! ((hides in corner in fetal position))

**Chapter 8**

When they were inside, Kate looked around the place. There were, as Sawyer had predicted, two old men reading the paper on barstools, and two waitresses walking around. Other than that, no one was in there. She smiled to herself. It might actually not be so bad.

"James!"

Both Kate and Sawyer directed their attention to one of the waitresses heading toward them. She was kind of a chunky woman, and wore way too much makeup. Her brownish blonde hair was in a mess of a bun and her bangs hung in her face. She came right over and hugged Sawyer. Kate wondered if this was actually one of the women he had "worked with". The thought almost made her laugh.

"Why honey, I haven't seen you in months! _Months!_"

"Nice to see ya too, Cassie."

"Darlin'! How have you been?"

"I've been doin' okay. How about you?"

"Oh. You know. Happiness is always here and there around here. I tell ya, we haven't had any customers in a week! A week! 'Cept ol' George and Tom over there. But they's been a'comin' every mornin' gittin' their waffles an' bacon. I can't tell ya how good it is to see a fresh face!" she smiled. Then she saw Kate. "And well who is this fine woman here you're tryin' ta hide? She yours?"

"Well, I wouldn't -"

"I'm Kate," she interrupted, not wanting to hear the rest of that thought.

"Well hi, Kate. I'm Cassie," she said, reaching for Kate's hand.

"Hello, Cassie. It's nice to meet you," she smiled, shaking Cassie's hand.

"Well she's a nice one, ain't she? You be good to her, ya hear, James? I seen all them girls you used to bring in here. They look like they ain't nothin' but trouble. You be good to her," she pointed to Kate. "She's a keeper."

"All right, Cassie," he said, getting annoyed.

"You two come on. I'll getcha nice and comfy in one of these booths here."

She led them to a table and they sat across from each other.

"Okay. So what'll ya like?"

"How's about a couple of menus to start off?" Sawyer teased.

"Oh!" she laughed. "Silly me! I forgot. Sit tight and I'll be right back!"

As soon as she left, Sawyer turned to Kate, who was smiling.

"She seems nice."

"When she's not talkin', sure."

"Be nice," she scolded.

"Can't guarantee that one, Freckles."

"Come here a lot before you were in Sydney?" she said, suddenly curious for no reason at all.

"Once or twice a week," he said, looking around. "Place don't look any different than how it was when I was last here. Why?"

"I was just wondering how you knew Cassie. That's all."

"Puh-lease. She ain't the type for my line of work."

"Right," she said, rolling her eyes. "How is it that no one realizes that you were stuck on an island for months when it's all over TV?"

"I told ya, nobody here watches the news."

She smiled at him, then looked down at the table still smiling. Just then, Cassie returned.

"Here ya are. Can I get you two anything to drink?"

"Whiskey," Sawyer said simply.

"For breakfast!" Kate asked.

"See you's still a big drinker," Cassie muttered, shaking her head and writing it down. "Ain't changed one bit, James. Not one bit. And how about you, sweetie?"

"Water's fine for me, thanks."

"Okay. I'll be back."

"You're unbelievable," Kate sighed.

"Relax. She ain't gonna bring it. Never does. She'll bring me coffee. You'll see."

Looking at the menu, Kate's only response was shaking her head repeatedly. He looked at her, and noticed there was something on the inside of her wrist.

"What's on your wrist?" he asked.

Quickly, she covered it with her hand. "It's nothing. Just a cut I got when I beat up those guys."

"Lemme see it."

"No, really. It's fine."

"I just wanna look at it," he said, reaching across the table.

She pulled her hand away and off the table, her other arm still resting _on_ the table.

"It's _fine_."

He sat back, sighing, forgetting about it for the moment. Cassie returned with their drinks – Sawyer's, indeed, a coffee - and left them alone again to go help the other two men. When Kate went to reach for her drink, Sawyer grabbed her arm and turned it around so he could see her wrist.

"Sawyer!" she tried to pull back.

He saw on her wrist what looked like a newly made, hardly healed cut that slashed diagonally down her wrist. He grabbed her other arm and saw the exact same thing. She watched him look at them, then forced her eyes shut, as she looked down. His eyebrows lowered and he looked up at her.

"What the hell is this?" he asked, quietly.

"Sawyer, just forget about it," she whispered, pleadingly.

"You slit your wrists, Kate?" he asked, angrily.

"Sawyer, please!"

"What the hell kind of person are you!" he asked, releasing her arms carelessly.

She got up and stormed out of the restaurant. After a minute, he got up too and walked out, letting the door slam behind him. He spotted Kate halfway down the strip of stores, leaning against one of the brick walls. He slowly walked over to her.

"Why'd you do it?"

"It doesn't matter," she whispered.

"Matters a hell of a lot to me!"

She turned around and he saw tears in her eyes. Was that a hint of concern she heard in his voice? It mattered to him?

"I'm leaving," she whispered, as she started to walk away from him.

"Oh no you ain't!" he walked after her, grabbing her arm.

She pulled her arm away sharply. "Leave me alone!" she shouted, running down the dirt road.

Growing even angrier, Sawyer ran after her. He stopped, watching her run, catching his breath, thinking she almost wasn't worth it. She was feet from him slowing to a stumbling walk, cradling her head in her hands. He heard a loud tractor honking its horn repeatedly. When he looked up, Kate was frozen in the middle of the road staring at the tractor, about to be hit by it. He ran as fast as he could to her and grabbed her, pulling her out of the way. They both fell onto the grass on the side of the road, Kate on top of him. She started to roll off of him, but he grabbed her arms.

"What the hell is the matter with you, Freckles?" he shouted.

"Let go of me!" she cried.

"You wanna tell me what the hell is goin' through that head of yours? Are you _tryin'_ to get yourself killed?"

She pulled away from him, and sat up, her knees to her head, crying. He sat up too, still trying to catch his breath. He looked at her sadly, as he panted. He couldn't stand to see her so upset. The way she looked upset _him_.

"You don't understand, okay?" she looked at him, her face now bright red and dripping with tears.

"Oh _I _don't understand? You think I don't understand pain like yours?"

"You don't! You have no idea what I have been through! What I'm still going through!"

"Huh!" he shook his head. "Unbelievable." He got up, dusting off his jeans. "For a minute there, Freckles, I was gonna let myself feel sorry for you! Until you said that _I _don't understand crap."

She stopped crying for the time being, but tears still rolled silently down her cheeks. What was he talking about? Feel sorry for her? For what? For wanting to get out of this hell that they call life? She didn't want _anyone_ to feel sorry for her! Especially, not him!

"You know you really had me goin' there for awhile. Here I thought you came here to say sorry. Or," he shrugged. "Or, I don't know, maybe just come and say hi for the hell of it? But you're just lookin' for a way to get outta here. You're runnin' from it all, tryin' to get out of this life. Well you keep runnin', princess. You run your heart out, but leave me out of it."

He stared at her angrily, and turned walking away, back to his truck. She sat for a few minutes, at first watching him walk away, then down at the road. She brushed off the dust from her jeans and sighed. He was right. She had told Jack on the island that she didn't want to run anymore. But here she was, running again. What was she becoming? Wiping her tears, she got up and walked back to the restaurant.

When she reached the parking lot again, she realized Sawyer was sitting in his truck. She went over to the passenger's side window and looked at him. It took a few minutes for him to realize she was standing there. He looked at her and their eyes locked, both full of pain and sorrow. He reached over and opened her door, and nodded for her to come in. She looked at him gratefully and got into the truck.

They drove in silence. Kate looked out the window the whole time, afraid to even look at him now. When she spared a few glances at him, she saw he was still glaring out at the road, and gripping the steering wheel tightly. She sighed, looking back out the window.

"I did it on the ship," she said softly.

He snapped out of his trance, glancing at her, startled to hear her speaking.

"Did what?"

"My wrists," she said, looking down, holding them in her hands, tracing over the wounds.

"I don't care when you did it. I wanna know _why_."

"Because I couldn't take it anymore," she said, in a sob. "I couldn't bear the pain of losing everything and everyone that I loved."

"What are you talking about?" he asked, quietly.

"After seeing Jack with another woman that night, I felt like I wasn't good enough anymore. Like there was no point in trying because no one would want me anymore. I felt like I had lost hope."

"How?" he asked, taking one hand off the wheel, glancing at her every few minutes.

"I have lost so much in my life already. I lost my life itself when I became a criminal and started running from everything. I lost all the people I've cared about, and I still am."

He looked at her, unsure of what she meant.

"I lost my mother…I lost Tom…I lost Jack…" she paused, more tears rolling down her face. "I lost you…" she whispered.


	9. Chapter 9

TITLE: Boomerang  
CHARACTERS: Kate, Sawyer, Jack  
RATED: PG-13 for the time being.  
EPISODES: Set after the story "Drawn Together": The raft is successful.  
STATUS: Chapter Nine of….Unknown  
BETA READER: Nicki and Ben (Two of my friends that are hooked!)  
DISCLAIMER: I don't own any characters from the show LOST. I certainly don't own Kate or Sawyer. (tear tear) But I do, however, own the rights to this story and my imagination that created it.

Quickie:  
Yay. Glad you all like it so far. Keep teh reviews comin'! lol

**Chapter 9**

He didn't say anything, but he looked back at the road now. She watched him a moment longer, hoping to get something from him. But he never spoke. He remained rigid, gripping the steering wheel, staring at the road. Giving up, she leaned her head against the window, tears still silently pouring.

He didn't quite understand what she meant when she whispered that she'd lost him. Sure, he had left her on the island, and yes, he didn't return for her on the cruise. But why should he? As much as he teased her about it, he knew it _wasn't_ because she wanted Jack. It was because he knew, as much as he didn't want to believe it, that she wasn't going to be able to go with him. He knew she was going straight into protective custody. And at the time, he didn't see reason as to why he should go back for someone who wasn't going to be able to be with him anymore. He couldn't bear to watch her get taken away from him. But now… Here she was - surprisingly, not locked up - saying she lost him.

But he was still here, wasn't he? And she was sitting in his truck beside him, right? How could she not see that he was fighting so hard not to just pull her close to him and hold her forever? That he was restraining himself from kissing her passionately, so wild and forcefully, so that she'd never want to leave him. That he wanted to cradle her in his arms long into the night, getting to know every spot on her body, and which ones made her tingle and which ones made her crazy. That he _wanted_ her…

They pulled into the driveway and he turned the car off, pulling the keys out of the ignition. They sat in silence, not daring to look at each other. He sighed rubbing his head.

"I've got some things to do," he told her, still not looking at her. "You can hang around here if you want and we can talk all this out later. But I ain't gonna tear myself apart if you're gone when I get back."

She nodded slowly, and opened the door. She got out, and closed the door, looking downward, still too afraid to look at him. She walked around the front of the truck toward his door, arms folded. Sighing, Sawyer started the truck again, looked one last time at her, then drove off. She sat on the steps below the porch and looked at her watch – 2:30. They were out for an hour. She sat pondering over what to do with the baby. With all the drama the day was filled with already, she'd completely forgotten about it. She'd have to remember to bring that up when they had their long talk later.

She spent four hours sitting outside, thinking about everything, thinking about nothing. It was darkening quickly, but Sawyer still wasn't home. She decided to go in and take a shower. She didn't have any clothes to change into, so she threw them in the washer, excluding her undergarments. She then felt obligated to not waste a load, so she did some laundry for him as well. As luck would have it, Sawyer returned while she was in the shower. When he stepped inside, the house was so quiet that he was almost sure she was gone. But then he saw the washing machine was going, and felt a flood of relief.

He put his keys on the mantle, just as Kate was coming down the stairs. She was wearing nothing but a towel, and was drying her hair with another. He looked up and saw her, and accidentally dropped the bags he was holding.

"Shit…" he muttered to himself, as he bent down to pick them up.

"Oh. I didn't realize you were back," she said, feeling somewhat embarrassed.

"You're uh…" he pointed to the pantry, trying not to be obvious. "You're uh…You're doin' laundry?"

"Oh. Well I felt strange just putting my clothes in there, so I put a load of yours in. Is that okay?"

"Yeah. Um, that's fine."

She walked over to see how much time was left on the timer. By the disappointed look on her face, he guessed that there was still quite a wait. He would have to take this to his advantage. She turned to him, blushing slightly.

"Do you have a robe or something I can borrow until it's done?"

_Damn_, he thought to himself. "Yeah. I got a robe," he said, in mock annoyance.

She laughed at his expression. While hewent upstairs, she sat in one of the chairs in the kitchen, and put the towel she used to dry her hair on the table in front of her. Knowing already that this was going to be a long night, she got up and started looking in cabinets for a much needed drink. She was on her tiptoes reaching for a higher cabinet when Sawyer walked back in, a robe draped over his arm. He looked at her curiously. She was reaching with one hand, and holding her towel on with the other.

"May wanna just think about losin' the towel altogether, Freckles," he said, looking her up and down.

Startled, she unintentionally jumped back, clasping the towel tightly. When she saw him, she let out a breath of relief.

"What is it you were doin'?" he grinned, handing her the robe.

"Trying to find where you keep the alcohol."

He raised his eyebrows and walked over, opening the cabinet she couldn't reach. Then he took out a bottle of whiskey kept up there, and put it in her hands, looking down on her more than usual.

"You're just too short, Freckles," he grinned.

"Don't rub it in."

She then went into the pantry and closed the door behind her. When she came back out, the towel had been replaced by his robe. Sawyer was already sitting at the table, opening the bottle that found its way back to him again. She sat across from him, hugging the robe to her. It was soft, and probably the closest she'd get to being in his arms, at this point. And damn, it even smelled like him. She'd definitely regret having to give this up later. Sawyer couldn't resist grinning at her. She looked so adorable in _his_ robe. He began to wonder just how long that would stay on…

"So," he started.

"So," she replied.

"Where should we begin?"

"You could start by agreeing with me to get rid of the baby?"

"I don't know about that. Ain't that risky?"

"Not really. Only if you've done it more than once."

"And have you?"

"No," she said, her cheeks flushing.

"Your face is tellin' me different."

"My face?" she said, confused, putting her hands on either side of her face.

"Or does it just randomly turn red?"

She didn't answer, but started to frown. "All right, maybe I have…_once_." After a pause she added in her defense, "And don't even try to ask if it was Jack's. Because it wasn't."

He put his hands up, backing off. "I didn't say a word."

"Fine."

"I don't think you should kill it though." When he saw her about to object, he quickly spoke again, "I mean…it deserves more of a life than we ever had."

"Even still. Sooner or later I'm not going to be so free. They'll find me eventually, and lock me up, taking the baby away. And if you actually think they'll give it to you…"

"You need to stop worryin' about the future."

"How can I stop worrying about the future when a baby _is_ in the future? Everything needs to be premeditated before actually giving birth. It's not as easy as TV makes it look, Sawyer. And I can't do this alone…"

"Who ever said you'd be doin' it alone?"

She sighed and took the bottle of whiskey from the table, taking a long drink of it. They were quiet for a long while after that. The washer's buzzer broke the silence, and they both got up to go to it. After a small argument, Kate finally ended up getting it. As soon as the clothes were in the dryer, she sat across from him again, and they were silent for about 10 minutes.

"What time is it?" Kate asked quietly.

"Almost seven thirty," he told her, after looking at his watch.

"Wow. Maybe I should go. I don't want to wear out my welcome."

"Yeah. Like you haven't already?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" she folded her arms, in mock annoyance.

"Nothin'!" he grinned.

After another hour of talk and tease, and another bottle of whiskey, they sat in silence again. Sawyer was in a trance as Kate looked over at the pantry.

"I'm going to check the clothes in the dryer," she told him, even though she knew they still weren't done since she overloaded it.

When she finished looking, she turned back to go into the kitchen, startled to see Sawyer standing there already, his arms folded. She looked at him, questioningly.

"You hungry?"

She looked at him, trying to figure out if he was serious. "What have you got in mind?"

"Free delivery," he grinned, holding up a Chinese menu.

She smiled, and nodded. "Okay."

* * *

An hour later, the food had arrived, and they were sitting in the living room, with cartons upon cartons of Chinese food on the coffee table. Kate was sitting in one of the chairs, her legs tucked under her, still wearing his robe. Sawyer sat on the couch, having a horrible time getting Lo Mein noodles out with chopsticks.

"Goddamnit," he said, in frustration.

"Look," Kate leaned over, and dug into the carton with her own chopsticks, and pulling out a group of noodles on them.

He had a hard time focusing on what she was doing while she was leaning over right in front of him, with only his robe on. She looked up and caught him staring and sat back.

"Don't get any ideas."

"What!" he snapped out of it.

"I only put my jeans and shirt in the wash. So you're out of luck."

She watched as he looked down, annoyed and disappointed. She laughed and started eating the noodles she'd just plucked out of his box. After that, they both stuck their chopsticks into a box that had only one wonton left.

"You gonna take those sticks outta my box?" he looked at her, as if he couldn't believe she'd just done that.

"_Your _box? We were sharing those."

"I don't think so," he said, trying to nudge her sticks out.

"Hey!" she nudged hers back. "What happened to being a gentleman and letting the ME have it?"

"Hell! I'm hungry!"

She tried again to get it out of the box but his sticks were in the way. She glared up at him, jokingly, and he looked at her with a completely serious face.

"Let the wonton go," he said in a coarse voice, keeping his face straight.

This with the combination of his southern accent saying the word "wonton" sent her into a fit of laughter. While she was distracted, he stabbed through it with his stick and held it up, grinning. She noticed, and her laughter stopped, her mouth still open in shock.

"That's not fair! You distracted me!"

"Now you listen here, Freckles," he started, pointing the wonton-topped stick at her.

At that moment, she leaned over and bit it off the stick, trying not to laugh at his shocked face as she chewed.

"What the hell is that?" he said, throwing his stick on the table.

She raised her eyebrows, smiling, and he put his hands on his knees.

"You know what? You can just get out now. You wore out your welcome."

"Okay," she got up walking slowly to the door. "But the robe goes with me," she added, running quicker to the door as he got up to go after her.

He pulled her arm and she spun around, stumbling into his arms. She looked up at him, and he held both of her arms now, staring back at her...


	10. Chapter 10

TITLE: Boomerang  
CHARACTERS: Kate, Sawyer, Jack  
RATED: PG-13 for the time being.  
EPISODES: Set after the story "Drawn Together": The raft is successful.  
STATUS: Chapter Ten of….Unknown  
BETA READER: Nicki and Ben (Two of my friends that are hooked!)  
DISCLAIMER: I don't own any characters from the show LOST. I certainly don't own Kate or Sawyer. (tear tear) But I do, however, own the rights to this story and my imagination that created it.

Quickie:  
This one turned out pretty good…writing-wise I mean…

**Chapter 10**

She looked down and pulled away, and he let her. She looked at the door, then to the floor and then back at him.

"I really should probably get going," she told him, regretfully.

"You don't _have_ to go."

She ignored him, going into the pantry, shutting the door so she could get dressed. He stood behind it, waiting for her.

"I've got extra rooms upstairs…" he told her.

She didn't answer.

"They're clean!" he added.

The door opened, and she was fully dressed again, his robe draped over her arm.

"That's sweet. But I can't," she told him, handing the robe back to him.

"Why not?" he asked, pulling her arm back, before she could leave.

"Because. I just can't."

She pulled away and walked to the front door. He followed her quickly, and grabbed her arm again, turning her around to face him.

"Kate, come on. Don't go."

She laughed. "Don't try to be cute by using my name."

"I wasn't!"

"I can't," she shook her head, pulling away.

"Just one night," he pulled back, and her arm felt the robe again.

She looked at it, then up at his hopeful eyes. She frowned, then looked to the floor, and then back to him. She sighed.

"One night."

"Fine," he agreed, pleased.

"But one night only," she told him, warningly.

"Fine."

"No more."

"Fine!"

"Okay."

They were both quiet again, looking away from each other.

"So, uh, I'll go clean up the food," he said quietly.

"Okay. Um…" she looked back at the clothes, now in a basket on top of the dryer. "What should I…" she pointed.

"Oh. You can just leave 'em. I'll do it."

"It's okay. I need some way to busy myself anyway," she told him. "Should I fold them here?"

"You can fold 'em upstairs, since it's all my crap anyway."

"Oh. Okay."

She picked up the basket and carried it upstairs. Sawyer watched her go all the way up, completely forgetting what he was supposed to be doing. He turned back to the table realizing he spilled all of the Lo Mein onto it.

"Son of a bitch…" he muttered. Why had everything about her suddenly had the dropsy effect on him? He was never like this with any other girls. But then he remembered - this was _Kate_. He started cleaning the Lo Mein, slowly. It was bound to be a heck of a night...

Only a few minutes later, Sawyer finished cleaning up the food and he headed upstairs to find Kate. When he found her, he was surprised to find her in _his_ room. She was folding clothes on his bed, thoughtfully. He leaned in the doorway, watching her back for a few minutes.

"You know, you can come in if you want," she told him, starting to fold a shirt. "It _is _your room."

"How might you know that?" he asked, walking in slowly.

"Well, I figured when I saw the bottle of liquor and package of cigarettes on the nightstand," she pointed.

He looked over and saw them too. "Okay, ya got me there," he said, sitting on the bed starting to help her.

"But I must admit, the perfectly made bed threw me off a bit."

"Think you're funny, do ya?" he said, throwing the towel he had picked up at her.

She laughed pulling it off her head. "You start throwing things at me and I'll stop folding your laundry for you," she said, throwing the towel back at him.

"Never said you had to fold it!" he retorted, throwing a pair of boxers at her.

"Hey!" she laughed, both amused and disgusted.

She tossed them back at him, and sat on the bed, armed with the already folded clothes in front of her.

"Don't you dare, Freckles," he warned.

Ignoring his warning, she grabbed a handful and threw it at him. When he finally got everything out of his face, he saw her grinning deviously. He, in turn, grabbed a handful and threw it back at her. She screamed, covering her face with her hands.

"See? Two can play this game, sweetheart."

"Well you started it!" she said, still pulling his clothes off of her.

"Me? Arghhhhh!"

He grabbed her and forced her down on the bed, taking handfuls upon handfuls of clothes stuffing them in her face. She laughed, shielding her face with her hands. When he finally sat back, finished, she cleared the clothes off of her and glared up at him, still smiling, and still laying there. He looked at her, shaking his head, then looked away laughing. They both sighed, looking away from each other.

But the amusement suddenly disappeared from his face, as he looked down at her longingly. Her grin, too, faded away. He leaned down and kissed her passionately. She pulled him closer, putting her hands on his back. He leaned more over her, turning off his side. He slid his hands under her shirt, slowly sliding them up her sides. She put her hands on his chest and pushed him away, breaking the kiss.

"We can't," she told him, gasping for air.

"What!" he looked down at her, bewildered.

She sat up, pushing him away from her. He sat too, watching her look down at his bed. _Why does this have to be so hard? _she thought, angrily.

"I can't do this. It's too much."

"What do you mean?"

"I can't live a normal life. I can't do this. Here? With you? I can't _stay_ here."

"You can stay here as long as you need," he told her.

"And I appreciate that. But if I stay I'm going to get attached. And I won't want to leave," she said, stopping herself from adding the word _you_.

"What's wrong with that?"

"You know what's wrong with it. You know that I can't ever stay in one place. For me, everything is about getting away. And if I let myself get attached this early on, I'm never going to want to leave. And the consequences that come with that are just…"

_What the hell just happened!_ he thought. Why was it that every time they were just getting close, they found someway to get even further apart? It was damn annoying, it was.

"Well why do we have to keep thinkin' of the future? Why can't we just take things as they come to us?"

It was like he was breaking her heart a million times over and a million times again. When he had said _us_, she felt like kissing him, letting herself just melt into his arms. She wanted so badly to just stop thinking of the future, and to just be with him and let things go whichever ways they would. But in her heart, she knew it wouldn't be a great turnout in the end.

"I'm just…afraid," she said, leaning her back into him.

He put an arm around her. "Afraid of what?"

"Of this. Of us. You. Afraid that I'm going to get hurt," she said, shifting her body around so her head was now buried in his chest.

Wrapping both arms around her now, he replied in a whisper, "I'd never hurt you."

"Maybe not intentionally…"

He lifted her head up, his hands on both sides of it. He looked directly at her, and she looked back. It would take a lot of courage for him to say what he was about to again, but he thought she needed to hear it again.

"You know I love you, Freckles," he smirked. "'Course you drive me crazy sometimes, but even so…"

She smiled up at him, relieved and thrilled to hear him say that. _Finally,_ she thought, as she sighed.

"I love you too," she whispered.

She laced her fingers in his hair pulling him back down on the bed with her, kissing him affectionately.


	11. Chapter 11

TITLE: Boomerang  
CHARACTERS: Kate, Sawyer, some Jack  
RATED: PG-13 for the time being.  
EPISODES: Set after the story "Drawn Together": The raft is successful.  
STATUS: Chapter Eleven of….Unknown  
BETA READER: Nicki and Ben (Two of my friends that are hooked!)  
DISCLAIMER: I don't own any characters from the show LOST. I certainly don't own Kate or Sawyer. (tear tear) But I do, however, own the rights to this story and my imagination that created it.

Quickie:  
Yeah...I used a bit of _The Notebook_ towards the end. ((I couldn't help it. When I watched that movie, so many parts made me think of them, and that was one of them.))

**Chapter 11**

Sawyer turned over looking out the window - it was clearly dark. That must've meant it was either really late or really early. He sat up on the edge of the bed, his legs hanging off, rubbing his head. He looked over to see if Kate was still beside him, but she wasn't. He thought for a minute, and just decided that she must've gone to the bathroom. Having no recollection of where his jeans were, he just headed downstairs in his boxers, and nothing more. Not that he _needed_ anything more anyway...

He walked into the kitchen, surprised to see Kate sitting on the counter top, her legs dangling, eating from a box of the Chinese food.

"Couldn't sleep either?" she offered.

"Mmm. Hungry too," he said, searching the fridge for something. He looked at the clock on the microwave, reading 1:37 AM. "What're you doin' up this late anyway?"

"I'm a night owl. I could stay up all night long if I wanted," she said, matter-of-factly. "It's waking me up in the morning that's the trick," she said, taking another bite of food from the box.

He looked over at her. "What're you eatin'?"

"Nothing. Just...some leftovers," she said, hiding the box from his view.

He closed the fridge, going over to her, suspiciously. It was now that he realized she was wearing one of his oversized shirts. Of course it looked cuter on her then it ever would on him. He leaned against the counter next to her.

"That my chicken?"

"Nope," she said, quickly, closing the box. "Why? Did you lose it?"

"No. I think I found it," he said, reaching around her for it.

She held it in her lap in front of her and wrapped her arms around herself, leaning over trying to hide it.

"Don't make me tickle it outta you!" he warned, starting to tickle her sides.

She screeched with laughter and the box fell to the ground, his chicken spilling out. He looked at it, then dramatically turned his head slowly toward her. She had sucked in her lips, trying to restrain from laughter.

"You're gonna clean that up, Freckles."

"I'm the guest! How dare you ask me to clean!" she teased.

"That's it!" He put an arm around her waist.

"What are you doing?" she asked, a bit worried, but at the same time excited.

He lifted her up and put her over his shoulder, ignoring her protesting shouts. Her legs kicking wildly, she banged her fists on his back.

"Hey! Put me down!"

"Not a chance," he laughed.

He carried her the same way, all the way upstairs back to his room, and dropped her onto his bed, crawling right on top of her after. He held her arms at her sides.

"Is this your way of torturing me until I clean it up?" she asked.

"Yep."

"Well you're not doing a very good job."

"I haven't even begun yet!" he said, grinning just a bit too mischievously.

Suddenly he let go of her arms and kissed her forcefully and yet gently. His tongue met hers and the kiss grew more and more intense. Just as she was getting into it, he pulled away. She lay, gasping for air. He'd never kissed her like _that_ before!

"That's supposed to be torturous?" she said, with a hint of amusement in her voice, trying to act as if it was nothing.

"That's only the beginning."

She looked at him curiously. He took up one of her arms and started treading soft kisses down it. She felt a tickling sensation and couldn't stop giggling.

"What are you doing?" she laughed.

He ignored her, working his way back up her other arm. Then he kissed around her neck.

"Gettin' even," he whispered into her ear, softly.

The sound of his voice and the feel of his warm breath on her neck made her shudder. She was falling into his trap, and forced her eyes shut. He pushed her shirt up slightly and kissed all around her stomach. She was exploding with heat and pleasure. As his hands slowly slid the shirt up higher, she hoped – wanted to beg – that he was going to just get rid of it. Instead he kissed down her chest, and back down her stomach, moving to her legs. She lay, immobile, completely relaxed and desiring, a wave of delightful dizziness overtaking her. Her hands clenched, clinging to the sheets, fighting the urge, as she unintentionally let out a moan. As he made his way back up to her stomach and back up to her neck, she pulled him into her. He kissed her wildly. Their tongues danced to an imaginary tune. Unexpectedly, he pulled away, panting. He looked down at her, his eyes wide with craving, and she, too, was panting.

"Gonna clean that up now?" he panted.

"After that?" she gasped. "Are you kidding?"

She pulled him to her again and they kissed again, vigorously.

* * *

When Kate woke, it was already light out. She turned over and saw Sawyer, who was holding her. Was she really here? Sleeping with him, already? When she had just come yesterday? She sat up and saw his shirt she'd been wearing last night on the floor. That answered all the rhetorical questions… She lay back again and turned on her side, and leaned into Sawyer.

"Wake up…" she whispered.

"Mmphgd…" he moaned.

"Sawyer…Wake up…"

"No…"

She laughed. "Please?" she pleaded, kissing him all over his bare chest.

"Mmm…You're tryin' to kill me, woman."

"Uh-uh," she laughed.

"Uh-huh."

"No."

"Agh. I need sleep," he groaned. "I need…food. Gain back my strength."

"What do you want?"

"Mmm…Pancakes…Eggs…Bacon…Juice…"

"How about a five course meal?" she teased.

"Mmm…" he turned over, muttering incoherently.

She got out of bed and took his robe from the back of the door, putting it on and tying it as she left the room. It was quiet for a minute, and then Sawyer heard running water in the hallway. She was in the bathroom. He rolled over putting a pillow on his head.

"You're killin' me, Freckles!"

The water turned off, and he heard her head down the stairs. After lying in the same position for ten minutes, he couldn't fall back to sleep. For another fifteen minutes he tossed and turned all over the bed until he actually fell off of it with a loud thud.

"Damnit!" he shouted, rubbing his lower back.

"Sawyer!" Kate called up the stairs.

"I'm fine!" he said, grumpily.

He got up, cursing, and realized the blanket was still wrapped around him. Or…at least his lower half. Too lazy to do anything else, he walked downstairs, with the blanket. A sweet aroma ofcooking foodfilled the air. He walked into the kitchen and saw his table set with two plates, utensils, glasses, the works. And there was Kate going to town at the stove.

"Took the whole bed with you, then?" she grinned, as he walked in wrapped partially in the blanket.

"Seems that way," he said, looking down at himself.

"So I'm the most horrible cook in the world. But," she paused to reach for a pot holder. "With what limited supplies you had, I still managed to make eggs and _not_ burn the house down."

"Amazing!" he said, sarcastically.

Disliking his sudden tone, she wondered, "You all right?"

"I'm _fine_."

"You're upset…?"

"I said I'm fine!"

"You wanna try this again?" she said, her hands on her hips.

He sighed. "Good morning, Kate," he said, annoyed.

Even though this was an improvement, she frowned that he had said _Kate_. He usually only used her name when he was angry or upset with her. Something was definitely wrong, and she needed to know what. She stopped the cooking and sat down across from him.

"Are you gonna tell me what's wrong, or what?"

"I just…have a headache," he said, closing his eyes as he rubbed his head.

"Don't you have aspirin?"

"Doubt it."

"Yeah. You don't have much of anything here."

"Well, when it's only me here, I don't do much shoppin'."

"You should. You can go today."

He looked at her like she was insane.

"I'll make a list for you if you want."

"Gee. Thanks," he said gruffly.

"Look. I understand you're clearly not a morning person, but do you think you could maybe be a bit more appreciative?"

"Whatever."

"Fine," she said, getting up and pushing the chair in. "Forget it."

She left the kitchen and he heard her going back upstairs. He got up and went to the stove. Surprised to see it even worked, considering he hadn't used it in years, he looked at everything she had cooked. He felt bad now about taking his usual morning grumpiness out on her. She hadn't even done anything and he was yelling at her. Having an idea, he tied the blanket tightly around his waist, so it wasn't in the way and got to work, as quickly as he could.


	12. Chapter 12

TITLE: Boomerang  
CHARACTERS: Kate, Sawyer, some Jack  
RATED: PG-13 for the time being.

EPISODES: Set after the story "Drawn Together": The raft is successful.  
STATUS: Chapter Twelve of….Unknown  
BETA READER: Nicki and Ben (Two of my friends that are hooked!)  
DISCLAIMER: I don't own any characters from the show LOST. I certainly don't own Kate or Sawyer. (tear tear) But I do, however, own the rights to this story and my imagination that created it.

Quickie:  
Okay so personally, this chapter _could_ seem a little out of character at first, but dude, you know you LOVE it :P

**Chapter 12**

When he was finished, he went upstairs to find Kate again. He walked in his room but she wasn't there. He did, however, notice that the shirt - _his shirt_ - she'd been wearing was tossed on the bed now. He quickly put his jeans on and put on one of his button down shirts, ignoring the buttons. He went back out in the hallway and saw the bathroom door closed. He went and knocked on it, loudly.

"Open up, Freckles!"

He heard her sigh, and the door opened. She was dressed again – in her own clothes. Her hair was no longer messy, but still down and in her face. She pushed it away and looked at him, waiting for an explanation. He grinned.

"I got a surprise for ya."

She looked at him curiously.

"Thing is, you gotta close your eyes."

"And fall down the stairs?"

"Yeah. I'm gonna let you fall down the stairs and break your neck," he said sarcastically. "You don't trust me?"

"I don't know yet," she said, partially joking, partially not.

"You want the surprise or not?"

"Fine," she said, turning out the light in the bathroom, and coming all the way out.

He pulled her to him and kissed her passionately. "Good mornin', by the way," he murmured.

She smiled as they walked over to the stairs, glad he was in a better mood now and yet, curious as to why. He went down the stairs backwards, leading her carefully down, making sure her eyes were closed. When they finally conquered the stairs, he led her through the kitchen and out the sliding doors to the patio. She felt a cool breeze, and realized they were outside.

"All right," he said. "You can open 'em."

She opened her eyes and her jaw dropped slightly. There was a little table and two chairs set up, with everything that was on the kitchen table, now on it. The food was already on the plates, set up beautifully. And there was even a single flower in a small vase in the center. She turned around and looked at him accusingly.

"_You_ did this?"

"Nah, I hired someone," he joked. "I just wanted to make up for bein' such a bastard."

She turned around and wrapped her arms around his neck. "That's the sexiest thing I've ever heard you say." With that, she kissed him lovingly.

* * *

After they finished breakfast, they sat on the porch swing a little ways from the table. Sawyer had his arm around Kate, who was sitting with her head on his shoulder, and her knees up. He slowly swung it with his feet, as they looked out at the woods behind his house, silently.

"Did I say thank you yet?" she said, looking up at him.

"Sixteen times," he nodded.

"Oh," she looked back at the sky. "Didn't know you were counting."

"Are you still stickin' by what you said last night?" he asked, suddenly.

"What?"

"_One night only,_ ring a bell?"

"Oh."

She was quiet for a while, not answering him. But he didn't pester her for an answer. He didn't even want to know the answer. He was content sitting exactly the way they were. So when ten minutes passed and she was still quiet, he didn't care.

"No," she said, softly. She looked up at him, as he looked at her confused. "I'm not sticking by it."

"You just can't resist me, can you, Freckles?" he teased.

She laughed. "I don't know. I guess it'd be pretty hard to leave those dimples of yours. I might just have to stay."

_Stay_. The word rang repeatedly in his ears. She wanted to _stay_. He took her hand in his and squeezed it, and she squeezed back. He wasn't used to being so open with his feelings for her. It was always a game with them. They would tease each other, and it seemed that they'd always compete in winning an argument. But that was the effect Kate had on him. She'd always brought out the best of him, and…occasionally the worst of him.

"What's in those woods?" Kate inquired.

"Trees…"

"I couldn't have guessed," she said.

"Well, how the hell should I know? Deer? Bears? Maybe a polar bear!"

She snickered. "Doubtful."

"Never know. Wouldn'tve thought there'd be one on a damn island!"

"That's true." After a long pause, she asked, "Have you ever been in there?"

"On that island?"

"In those woods," she rolled her eyes.

"Not since I was a kid."

She sat up and looked at him. "This is…" she pointed backward to the house. "This was…"

"Yeah."

"Oh."

She sat back again, feeling bad for bringing it up. Of all things she could do, bringing up _that _was quite possibly the worst. Surprisingly, he didn't seem to get upset about it.

"Used to catch squirrels in traps, in those woods. Then I'd poke at 'em with sticks through the holes of the cage," he smiled at the memory.

"I guess you were as cruel as you are now when you were a kid too, then."

"_Funny_."

"I wasn't joking," she laughed.

"Yeah, why don't you tell me somethin' about when you were a kid? How 'bout that, Freckles?"

"I'd…rather not," she said, looking away uncomfortably.

"Why not? I told you somethin' 'bout my childhood. Only right to return the favor."

"I never asked you to tell me."

"And I _am_."

"Well I don't want to."

"Why? What've you got to hide?"

She shook her head looking away.

"What'd you lose your virginity at five or somethin'?"

"No…" she said, feeling tears pricking her eyelids. Why couldn't he just leave it alone?

"Come on. Just tell me. _Anything. _Doesn't matter what," he said, trying to keep calm.

"I climbed trees," she said simply, swallowing.

"Yeah, like I didn't know that," he said, throwing his hands in the air.

"You said anything. That was something."

"Well I meant anything I didn't already know!"

"Why can't you just leave it alone, Sawyer?" she snapped, suddenly.

"Why's it bother you so much?" he snapped back. "Why can't I know more about you? You have to hide _everything_ from _everyone _who _cares _about you?"

He got up and went inside, the swing swinging rapidly as he left it. She sat back on it, pulling her knees to her chest, and resting her head upon them. He watched her for a minute through the kitchen window. Every god damn time they got close. Every damn time! What the hell did she have to hide anyway? Was her childhood really _that_ bad? It couldn't be anything compared to his own!


	13. Chapter 13

TITLE: Boomerang  
CHARACTERS: Kate, Sawyer, some Jack  
RATED: PG-13 for the time being.  
EPISODES: Set after the story "Drawn Together": The raft is successful.  
STATUS: Chapter Thirteen of….Unknown  
BETA READER: Nicki and Ben (Two of my friends that are hooked!)  
DISCLAIMER: I don't own any characters from the show LOST. I certainly don't own Kate or Sawyer. (tear tear) But I do, however, own the rights to this story and my imagination that created it.

Quickie:  
I know you all want to know why. Soon enough, little grasshoppers. Soon enough.

Song doesn't really fit the chapter, but because of the sad tune of it I'm hearing while I'm listening right now (mind u it is the Norah Jones version...). It just seemed kind of fitting while I was writing it. So that's that.

**Chapter 13**

_Love me tender…Love me sweet  
__Never let me go…  
__You have made my life complete  
And I love you so…_

_Love me tender, love me dear  
__Tell meyou aremine  
__I'llbe yoursthrough all the years  
__Until the end of time… _

Love Me Tender** – Elvis Presley**

Sawyer left the kitchen after a few minutes and retired to the living room, cigarettes and whiskey in hand. Kate remained outside on the swing, staring blankly at the sky for a few hours. By the time three 'o clock rolled around, she got up and went inside. She found Sawyer passed out on the couch, the bottle of whiskey about to fall out of his hand. She sat on the edge of the coffee table, and took it from him. Looking at how empty it was now, compared to how full it had been the last time she saw it, she sighed. Frowning, she put it on the coffee table behind her. She looked at him, sadly.

Once he woke up, she was sure there was no way around him asking her about her childhood again. She just couldn't tell him, though. She'd never told anyone. Not even Tom; at least not all of it. And to tell someone about it, would make all the horror of it true, which was exactly what she didn't want. She'd been avoiding it for so long, pretending it had never happened, hoping that maybe one day, she'd be right and it all would've been just a horrible nightmare. She soon realized that she had goose bumps, just thinking about it. Rubbing her arms, to rid herself of them, she got up and grabbed a blanket that was draped over one of the chairs. After she laid it over him, she went upstairs for a few minutes, then came back down leaving the house.

* * *

When Sawyer woke up four hours later, the first thing he saw was the top of the staircase loaded with bags. As he looked more clearly, they were paper shopping bags, all with different brand names on them. He looked down at his lap and saw a blanket, which he had no idea how it had gotten there. He sighed and tossed it off, going upstairs. He inched around the bags and heard running water. She was in the shower. He went in his room and lied on his bed, waiting for her. He wanted to see what was in all those bags on the staircase, but he knew better. Something told him she'd get angry if he tried to invade her privacy.

It wasn't long until Kate finally came out of the shower. She noticed Sawyer in his room and stopped in her tracks. She paused and looked over at the bags, then back at him. She decided to go into his room, after a small debate in her mind. She sat on his bed, next to him.

"Hey," she said, unwrapping the towel from her hair.

"Hey."

"You slept pretty long."

"I was tired," he said, sitting up.

She nodded. He realized she was wearing his robe again. He snickered to himself, then slowly remembered the bags.

"You go somewhere while I was sleepin'?"

"Oh. Yeah, I went to a couple of stores in town."

"How'd you get there?"

"I walked."

"You walked?" he repeated, not believing her.

She nodded. "Yeah. I like to walk."

"Always imagined you liked to run…" he said, brusquely.

Ignoring the comment, she went on. "I stopped at the grocery store and picked up a few things, seeing as you've got nothing but alcohol and stale bread."

"I got more than _that_!" he argued.

"Well, now you have even more. Including some REAL food. And I have some clothes," she said, starting to towel dry her hair.

"Where you gettin' all this money from, Freckles?"

She felt her face heat up, and she blushed. She looked down, making herself sit more comfortably. He didn't like the way she was acting now. Something told him that nothing good was about to come of this. Then she pulled something from her pocket and handed it to him. He looked at it, then looked up at her both confused and angry.

"You stole my credit card?" he said, in disbelief.

"Borrowed it," she corrected. "I just…I was going to ask you, but you were asleep."

"Used _my _money to get _your _shit?"

"Sawyer, I didn't use that much. And I'm going to pay you back!"

"With what? Bail bonds?" he snapped.

She looked at him with hurt eyes, and her mouth hung open in disbelief.

"I can't believe you just said that," she whispered fighting back tears.

"I can't believe you stole my Visa, Freckles!"

"And yet, here I am, still begging for forgiveness," she said, ignoring him.

"Well you're wastin' your time. I ain't gonna forgive a thief."

"Who are you kidding? I mean, what do you do for a living? Bring women you're your bed in order to get their husbands' money? Tearing families apart, leaving everyone around you devastated?" She paused, then said sternly, "Cut peoples' vacations short?"

His eyes widened.

"That's what you did to Lloyd, isn't it?"

"How do you know about that?"

"Hibbs and Lloyd, 2AM at The Parlor," she told him, wearing a straight face. "Poor guy. Probably never saw it coming. Probably left a wife and a few kids at home too."

"How the hell do you know about that?" he repeated.

"You leave your things out in the open for someone like me to find. I'd want to find better hiding places for things that are supposed to be unseen."

"You steal my phonebook now too?"

"No. But I did look through it. Found a relatively long list of female names. And, god, Sawyer! I don't even remember how many there were, but at least six pages filled! _How_ many people did you use? Don't you have any dignity? Any remorse? Or are you seriously _that_ shallow?"

"That ain't any of your business. Keep your nose outta my past."

"Oh, but it's okay for you to stick yours into mine?"

"I never brought it up again, did I?" he shouted.

"No, but you sure pestered me enough about it! And it was only a matter of time before you did ask me again!"

"Cause you're so secretive! Maybe if you would just tell me somethin' I wouldn't have to beg you to tell me!"

"Why do you need to know about it? How is it going to make your life any better?"

"I just wanna know somethin' about you more than you're a criminal! Somethin' you wouldn't hear everyday." After a pause, he added, "Beside the fact that you're a tree hugger."

She laughed, and shook her head looking down. "I climb them, not hug them."

"Whatever!"

She licked her lips, forcing back tears. "You wanna hear something about me that you've never heard before? Fine."

He could hear her voice starting to break, but he didn't say anything. Now that she was willing to tell him something, he wanted to hear it. She took a deep, unsteady breath.

"You were off by seven years," she told him. "When I was twelve, I was knocked up."

The anger in his face quickly disappeared and was soon replaced by regret.

She licked her lips again, unable to repress her tears any longer. "But the saddest part of it was that the guy who did it…was my Stepdad."

His eyes widened and he finally saw the horror of her past and why she didn't want to talk about it. But as if that wasn't enough, she continued.

"He used to beat me when I was little, maybe six or seven. I'd have bruises all over my back and forearms. I had to tell everyone I fell from trees. Of course no one would believe that. But that's what I always told them anyway."

"Why didn't you tell anyone?"

"Because he told me not to. He told me if I told anyone, he'd kill me," she said, letting out a sob. "And I was a kid! Of course I had to believe him."

He looked away, realizing she was right. Things are always different when you're a kid…

"When I was eleven, he had this infatuation with touching me and groping me. And slapping my butt," she said. She tried to breathe, but her crying was too hysterical. "By twelve, he had finished me off by getting me pregnant."

"The bastard raped you?"

She nodded, tears flowing silently as she sniffled. "Of course he realized he fucked up and was at least generous enough to take me to the clinic. But then he left me there to walk home. After all that pain," she looked down, angrily."He left me togo to his lawyer. Filedfor divorce from my mother the next day."

Sawyer looked down. And he thought _he_ had one heck of a horror story for a childhood…

"She never saw it coming, and never understood why he did it," she said, shaking her head. Then she laughed maliciously. "How's that for a childhood?"

He shook his head and tried to put a comforting arm around her. "Kate…"

"No," she said, shrugging his arm off, sniffling. "I'm fine. It's fine. It's in the past."

"You shouldn't have told me that."

"Well you wanted to know, didn't you?"

She got up, throwing the towel she'd used to dry her hair on the bed, sharply, and stormed out of the room and down the stairs. He heard a door slam, but couldn't figure out which. It had sounded like the sliding doors in the kitchen. He ran a hand through his hair, frustrated. He looked down and saw the credit card still in his hand...


	14. Chapter 14

TITLE: Boomerang  
CHARACTERS: Kate, Sawyer, some Jack  
RATED: PG-13 for the time being.  
EPISODES: Set after the story "Drawn Together": The raft is successful.  
STATUS: Chapter Fourteen of….Unknown  
BETA READER: Nicki and Ben (Two of my friends that are hooked!)  
DISCLAIMER: I don't own any characters from the show LOST. I certainly don't own Kate or Sawyer. (tear tear) But I do, however, own the rights to this story and my imagination that created it.

Quickie:  
Even _writing_ that last chapter almost made me cry…  
((Just so we all know, I'm gonna say that the story started in the middle of October. So now it's probably kind of early November. shrug ))

And I hope you've all been reading these little notes!

Because sometimes these have important messages!

**Chapter 14**

The next few days that passed were quiet ones. Kate suddenly grew distant with Sawyer. She didn't want to see him, talk to him, even be around him. She took to wandering out in the woods during the day, so he couldn't find her. Even late at night, while Sawyer had no idea, she'd sneak downstairs and outside to the porch swing, sitting there until the sun rose. As cold as it was beginning to get, with winter coming soon, she stayed outside almost all day long. She was afraid to be near him now. Afraid she might break down again, and scare him away even more.

Sawyer, on the contrary, had taken to leaving the house a lot, many times for all day trips. Kate had no idea where he went, but he always made up reasons to go out, and never return until nighttime. By the time he came back, she'd fallen asleep on the couch, almost always with the TV on. Sometimes, she'd be asleep up in his bed, still, with the TV on. Sawyer guessed she liked to hear the voices so that she wouldn't feel so alone. But he couldn't be around her anymore. There was something different about her now. He didn't feel like she was the same person. She was like a fragile glass or porcelain figurine. If you got too close to her, she'd fall to pieces.

One morning, Kate woke up to find Sawyer's spot empty. She took his robe off the door, and headed downstairs to look for him, suddenly feeling a need for him. Much to her dismay, he wasn't anywhere in the house. She stepped outside, onto the cool, broken slate path to the driveway. His truck was still there. She even saw frost on the windows of it. Then she noticed the door to the shed behind it was open for the first time since she'd been there. Hesitantly, she walked over, relieved to see him inside stacking wooden logs. She wondered how on earth he wasn't cold without his shirt.

"Kind of brings back a few memories," she said softly, strolling inside and nodding toward the logs.

He turned around, startled by her voice. "Like what?" he asked, interested for no reason.

"Cutting bamboo…" she smiled. "Happened quite a bit on the island…"

"Not enough, in my opinion," he smirked.

"You wish you could've cut more bamboo?" she asked, surprised.

"I wish I coulda had more company _while_ I was cuttin' it."

"Hey I tried my best. You're just not an easy guy to be around."

"Hate to be the guy to say you're standing right here…"

She shrugged, pulling the robe tighter around her. It was really cold, even for this time of month. She could even see her breath!

"Getting' pretty attached to that thing, ain't ya?" he said, nodding toward the robe.

"It always seems to come in handy," she said, looking down at it.

"Not _always_," he argued.

She smiled, rolling her eyes and looked around the shed. It was more of a workshop than a shed, to be honest. It was cleaner than she thought it would be. Given that the outside desperately needed a washing, you would never have guessed it was so clean _inside_. There was a bench with a few tools strewn on it, including an iron vice. There was a lawn mower, rakes, shovels. There was functioning lighting in it, and the increasing stack of logs Sawyer was working on. She shivered again.

"It's freezing out here! Aren't you cold?"

"Freckles, you wouldn't believe the sweat I just broke, even if I told you."

"You just cut all this now?"

"Few hours ago, actually. Been stackin' em a while. Didn't realize I cut so much at the time. Repressed anger, I guess."

She looked downward, still rubbing her arms for warmth.

"Why did you get up so early to do this?"

"Because it's cold," he said, grabbing another two logs.

"Well, yeah. But you could've waited until later."

"Not the way you were shivering, last night and early this morning."

She looked at him, startled. "I was shivering?"

"Uncontrollably, it seemed. Figured then and there it was time to get the fire goin' again."

"That fireplace _works_?"

"Well we'll find that out soon enough, now, won't we?" he grinned.

He grabbed another log and she smiled at the ground. He was doing it all for her. Because she was shivering, cold.

"So I guess that means it's the first time back in those woods since – "

"Twenty seven years," he finished.

They were quiet, neither realizing it had begun to flurry outside…

* * *

It was later in the morning, as they both sat with their backs against the couch, watching the fire burn. Although sitting together, there was a significant amount of space between them. Kate held the cup of hot cocoa he had made her in both hands, in attempt to keep them warm.

Sawyer got up suddenly and left her sitting alone. She watched him go upstairs and then she looked back at the fire confused. When he came back, he had something she couldn't make out in his hand. When he sat back down, he tossed it into the fire, watching it burn. It was now, as she too watched it burn, that Kate realized it was the little black book she'd looked through. She looked from him, back to the fire.

"Time to put the past behind," he said, staring directly at the burning book.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. Kate instantly recognized it, and saw him start to crumple it. She put a hand over the one that held the paper.

"There are some things from the past that are better kept rather than forgotten."

"I ain't gonna ever find the guy to give it to. Why in hell would I wanna keep this?"

She reached into her own pocket with her other hand, and pulled out the toy plane. She held it up to him, and he looked at her questioningly.

"Why would I want to keep _this_?"

"What is it?"

"It's a toy plane," she said, simply.

"I _know_ that. But what's it got to do with any of this?"

"It was Tom's."

"Why'd you keep it?" he asked quietly.

"I don't know. I just couldn't get rid of it," she said, staring at it. Then she looked back at him. "Like your letter."

He was quiet, absorbing her words, forgetting the fact that her hand was still on his. She looked out the window near the door. It wouldn't stick, he had said, so sure of himself. She argued with him mentally now, for she saw there was a thin, powdery layer of snow already covering the grass outside. It wasn't thick enough yet that you couldn't see the grass, but it was enough to make the grass sort of glisten. She got up and went to the door, opening it. The cool snowy breeze finally snapped Sawyer from his daze and he looked over at her.

"What're you doin'?" he said, gesturing toward the fire.

She didn't answer him, but took a few steps outside. The snow on her feet sent a cold jolt through her. Sawyer watched her, intrigued, until she turned around facing him, one hand on the doorway. She raised her eyebrows.

"No," he said, shaking his head.

She gave him a sad face and he looked away shaking his head.

"I ain't goin' out there, Freckles."

"Reason being?"

"It's _cold_!"

She rolled her eyes and almost frolicking out into the front yard, let the snow soak her toes. All of a sudden, she started acting completely unlike herself and she was twirling in the snow. Sawyer got up to watch her at the door, not stepping even an inch outside. When she stumbled dizzily, she stopped and looked up, her arms spread. Sawyer couldn't help but laugh.

She looked up, sticking her tongue out trying to catch a snowflake on it. She closed her eyes, waiting for one to fall. Instead, she was met with Sawyer's lips, grasping her tongue with his. She wrapped her hands around his neck and he held her waist.

"Change of heart?" she asked, breaking away from the kiss.

"I had some good persuasion."

"Maybe it'll turn into a blizzard," she said looking up, and twirling away from him.

"I hope not," he said, watching her, admiring how beautiful she looked, especially with the snowflakes accenting her hair.

"No?"

"You wanna shovel us outta here?"

"Hmm," she smiled. "I guess we'd be stuck inside if it was bad enough…"

"Actually doesn't sound like too bad of an idea," he grinned.

"Mm-mm. A nice warm fire…Hot cocoa…" she said, flirtatiously.

"Well, there _are_ other ways to keep warm," he said, slyly.

"I know," she said, now kneeling in the snow, briskly running her fingers through it.

He raised his eyebrows, surprised she wasn't rolling her eyes or yelling "pervert" at him.

"Sorry to burst your bubble, Freckles, but I can't stay out here much longer."

"Getting frost bite on your big nose, are you?"

"I can't feel my feet." He paused. "You think my nose is big?" he asked, insulted.

"Of course not," she looked away smiling, moving from her knees right onto her bottom.

"What the hell are you doin' now?"

"I wanna make a snow angel," she said simply, lying back in the snow.

"Don't need snow to make you an angel," he_almost_ said aloud. Instead, he just watched her, amused. Her arms and legs flailed back and forth, forming an angelic border around her. When she finished, lying perfectly still, he went over to her and took her hand to help her up. But she only sat up and started dusting the snow off her jeans. She looked over her shoulder at her work, frowning.

"What's the matter?"

"If I get up, my feet will ruin it," she said, looking up at him questioningly.

Sighing in mock exasperation, he went over to her and bent down to lift her up. He had one arm around her back, and one under her legs. As he started to step away from the newly made snow-angel, she pulled back the collar of his shirt and stuffed a handful of snow down his back.

"Ahh!" he jumped back, accidentally dropping Kate.

She grabbed his arms to maintain her balance, and thusly landed on her feet instead of her butt. Unfortunately, because of that, Sawyer lost his own balance and fell backward onto her angel. He grabbed her, refusing to go down alone.

"You ruined my angel!" she teased.

"You put ice down my back!" he argued.

"Maybe…"

"Unbelievable!"

He got up, wiping the snow off him. Kate joined him in standing and too, started to wipe the snow off of her.

"God, I need a shower now," she said.

"_You_ need a shower?"

"Yeah. I do."

They headed inside, trying to push each other in the snow again. Kate was successful and ran inside for protection. Sawyer stomped inside, wet and in a rather irritated mood.

"Get outta my house!" he shouted, not sure of where she was.

"Very funny," she laughed, poking her head out from the kitchen.

"I'm not jokin'!" he said, even though he was.

"There's another bathroom down here, right?" she asked, ignoring him.

"There is," he said, giving up. Then he added slyly, "But we'd save time if we showered together."

She laughed.

"Not to mention soap and water," he added, following her to the downstairs bathroom.

"Hmmm…" she said, pretending to consider. When he started to follow her in, she closed the door in his face. "Sorry. Did I mention I shower _alone_?"

"Fine," he laughed, walking away. "Spoilsport…"


	15. Chapter 15

TITLE: Boomerang  
CHARACTERS: Kate, Sawyer, some Jack  
RATED: PG-13 for the time being.  
EPISODES: Set after the story "Drawn Together": The raft is successful.  
STATUS: Chapter Fifteen of….Unknown  
BETA READER: Nicki and Ben (Two of my friends that are hooked!)  
DISCLAIMER: I don't own any characters from the show LOST. I certainly don't own Kate or Sawyer. (tear tear) But I do, however, own the rights to this story and my imagination that created it.

Quickie:  
Yay for reviews!

**Chapter 15**

Kate, unusually, finished showering before Sawyer had. Instead of jumping right to getting dressed, she decided to sit out on the porch swing, watching the snow fall, in naught but her towel. Despite how bitterly cold she was, she didn't care. She knew within minutes, Sawyer's arms would be wrapped around her and then it wouldn't matter anymore.

"Okay. Way I see it, you're either(a) completely insane, (b) hung around Locke too much on the island, or (c) tryin' to freeze that cute little butt of yers off for the hell of it," Sawyer grinned, suddenly appearing at the door, dressed.

She looked down, blushing at the remark. Then she looked up at him, with a clever look. "I'll have to go with (a)."

"That your final answer?" he asked playfully, sitting next to her, wrapping an arm around her.

"No," she said, shifting closer to him.

"How you feel about goin' out tonight?"

He watched as she frowned and was about to object. He put a hand up to stop her.

"Before you say anything, I can guarantee that _no one_ there will recognize you by the least."

"How can you be sure?"

"Because I know all the people who'll be there."

_Oh that sounds assuring_, she thought to herself. Sighing, she shrugged uncomfortably. "Where exactly is it we'll be going?"

"There's a bar a little outta town – "

"A _bar_?" she mimicked him in disbelief. She started shaking her head.

"It's safe. Everyone there's drunk as hell. They won't know who the hell you are. And even if they do, by the time they wake up tomorrow, they won't have a clue about it tomorrow."

"What if they went to the police tonight?"

"Come on. You seriously think they'll believe a guy who can't even walk a straight line?"

She looked down, still frowning. He sounded so excited about going out, and she really did want to, but there was that tiny insecurity. What if someone _did_ recognize her? What if they _did _remember in the morning? What if there was a fight and the police showed up? There were too many what ifs.

"You can go out with a paper bag over your head, if you want," he offered, trying to brighten her mood.

She smiled weakly, still not looking at him. "I just can't help but keep thinking that what if something _does _happen?"

"It won't. As far as we're concerned, the police in Texas know nothin' about what happened with those guys. Or it woulda been all over TV already."

"We haven't exactly spent time watching TV, Sawyer. If you can recall, we get sidetracked a bit too easily."

He laughed. "Well if it makes you feel better, let's go turn it on now. If your face ain't on it, then will you come?"

She looked at him, searching his hopeful expression. "Okay," she agreed.

He held her hand as they went inside and she sat on his lap on the couch. He grabbed the remote from the side of the couch and turned on the TV. There on the screen suddenly, was not Kate's face, but Jack's. Kate's eyes widened and Sawyer looked at the screen in disbelief. This could _not_ be happening! She listened intently to what they were saying, as she shifted off of Sawyer's lap and onto the couch beside him.

"Mr. Sheppard. Of course everyone stranded on the island seemed to have some kind of significant role, wouldn't you agree?" said the interviewer.

"Yeah. In a sense, I guess you could say we all did our part. We all had certain things we did to help each other out," he replied.

As they continued talking about people on the island, Sawyer interrupted, "See? His ugly mug.Ain't yours. Okay?"

But she wasn't listening. She was still listening to the TV and to every word Jack was saying.

"Okay. Mr. Sheppard – "

"Please. Let's not be formal. It's Jack," he laughed.

She smiled slightly. Typical Jack.

"Okay. So it's been said that there was a fugitive on flight 815 with you. Her said name is Katherine Austen. Is that true?"

His expression changed from relaxed, to somewhat distressed. "Yeah. It is."

"Can you tell us, she survived, did she not?"

"She did."

"When did you first find out that she was a criminal?"

"When I found her mug shot," he said simply.

Kate looked away from the screen, angrily. Sawyer watched her, and reached for the remote.

"No!" she said. "Don't turn it off. Not yet."

Reluctantly, Sawyer dropped the remote on the couch beside him, and sighed, looking back at the screen. _Damn Jack-O_.

"Can you tell us, was there any difficulty with her on the island?"

"I don't understand – "

"Well being a criminal, there had to be some violence or abuse, correct?"

"No," he shook his head. "Kate had her moments, but overall she wasn't a troublemaker. She always wanted to help out, come on hikes with us as we tried to find some way to keep us alive or get us off the island."

"She seemed like a normal person?" the interviewer asked, surprised.

"Well, aside from being able to use a gun, and always jumping at the chance to..."

Kate rolled her eyes, angrily.

"But, yeah. You know, everyone has a past. But everyone also has a right to a new life. A new beginning. Kate didn't hold back in starting hers. She was always there to help." He paused to laugh a bit. "The first day, actually, when we crashed, she helped mend a wound I had on my side. She kept saying how queasy she was, but nevertheless..."

Kate looked down, tears slowly forming.

"Now you mentioned she had "her moments"?"

She looked back at the screen again, waiting to hear his response to that.

"Well, I mean she kind of seemed to compete with me. In a good sense, though. But she always seemed to have to come to me for help. It was almost as if she couldn't deal with things by herself."

"Could you elaborate?"

"Um…" he took a long pause, then sighed.

She desperately hoped he wasn't going to tell about the case. For some reason, she had a sickening feeling that's what he was thinking about.

"There was this case," he started.

Sawyer's ears perked up now. This was something he actually knew about.

"A case?" the woman asked, unsure.

"It was a metal case. A Halliburton. It had belonged to the Marshal that was escorting her."

Kate buried her face in her hands. Why was he doing this? And on TV for everyone to hear?

"The marshal died on the island, right?"

"Yeah. He was badly wounded by a shard of the plane in his abdomen. I tried my best to save him, but there was really no hope when he awoke from the amnesia as I was taking it out."

"I see. So more about this case you were telling us about. Just for the viewers who aren't familiar with a Halliburton, it's one of the strongest types of carrying cases you could find."

"Yeah. Well, one of the castaways on the island with us had possession of it, but hadn't found a way to open it yet. Apparently there was something in the case she wanted, and she came to me looking for help to get it back."

"Did she tell you what was in it?"

"Yeah."

_Oh no,_ Kate thought. _Oh no, no, no, no, no! _

"There were four 9-millimeters, a case of extra ammo for them, traveling money, and personal effects."

"Guns?" the woman said, surprised.

"Yeah. But the only thing she seemed interested in was a small toy plane."

"How ironic."

"Sorry?"

"Well, the plane crashed and she just happened to be trying to get a small figurine of a plane."

"Well…"

"Do you think there was a connection between the two? I mean, do you think she could've instigated the plane crash?"

Jack didn't answer. He seemed lost in thought.

"All right. Well we'll be right back after these few messages from our sponsors."

Sawyer saw Kate, no longer watching, and turned the TV off.

"That was real bastard of him," he said.

She didn't answer. Her face was still masked by her hands. He put a hand on her back. When she looked up at him, he was surprised to see she wasn't crying. Her lips slowly curved, and she nodded.

"Let's go," she said.

"Go?"

"Out. To wherever it was you wanted to go."

"You serious, Freckles?"

She paused to consider for a moment, then looked back at him. "Yeah."


	16. Chapter 16

TITLE: Boomerang  
CHARACTERS: Kate, Sawyer, some Jack  
RATED: PG-13 for the time being.  
EPISODES: Set after the story "Drawn Together": The raft is successful.  
STATUS: Chapter Sixteen of….Unknown  
BETA READER: Nicki and Ben (Two of my friends that are hooked!)  
DISCLAIMER: I don't own any characters from the show LOST. I certainly don't own Kate or Sawyer. (tear tear) But I do, however, own the rights to this story and my imagination that created it.

Quickie:  
Kay, all I'm gonna say for this chapter: All the characters in this one, minus Kate, are southerners. So use your imagination to read and hear a southern accent. :P

**Chapter 16**

Sawyer went into the pantry while he waited for Kate to run upstairs and get dressed. He took the t-shirt he was wearing at that moment off, and grabbed his black button down from the closet in the pantry. After he finished buttoning it, he turned the TV back on, scanning all the news channels, just to make sure. He heard the steps start to creak and immediately turned the TV off. When he looked up the stairs, he was amazed at what he saw.

There was Kate, coming down the stairs in a pair of tight jeans, fringed at the bottom. She had taken one of _his_ flannel shirts –a red one - and tied it at the center, bearing her midriff. As a sexy finishing touch, she seemed to have found one of his cowboy hats, a tan one with a small buckle in the front. There was no taking his eyes off of her. She laughed at the mystified expression on his face.

"She cleans up well, don't she?" Kate said, imitating her best southern accent.

He laughed and walked over to her, embracing her in his arms.

"Do me a favor, Freckles," he said, kissing the tip of her nose. "Don't _ever_ say that again."

She laughed. "Done," she whispered. Smirking, she said, "I did find another one – a black one. Would look perfect with your shirt…"

"Hell no!"

"Why not?"

"What do you think, this is some kinda show?"

"No. But it'd be fun."

She pulled the rim of her hat downward, and looked up at him beneath her lashes, pretending to be mysterious, to which he only laughed. He fixed it for her, and finally let go of her as he went to retrieve his keys from the mantle.

"No hat for me," he repeated. "Where'd you find that old thing anyway?"

"In the attic."

His expression went from amused, immediately to serious. He gripped the keys tighter as he almost dropped them. He turned around slowly to face her. "You went up there?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Why the hell would you do that?"

"What do you mean?"

"I never said you could go up there!"

"You never said I _couldn't_ either," she said, confused.

"Well don't go up there again."

"Why?"

"Because I said so!"

"Okay," she agreed quietly.

"Let's go."

She followed him out the door and they got into his truck. This time, it started on cue. As they drove, it was quiet. Neither spoke as he drove through the darkness. Soon, Sawyer had turned some music on to try to ease the mood. Kate looked at him strangely at his choice of music. Then she laughed as she noticed he was singing along with it. When he turned to look at her, she turned and looked out the window, as if she hadn't been watching him at all. He saw her smiling though, and was glad that she was in a better mood again.

In a little while, they had reached the bar. Kate was actually quite dressed for the theme of it. It was a western style bar, and looked much like a saloon. There were haystacks in all different places, the bartenders were wearing cowboy hats and bandanas, and there were different southern types of wall hangings. There was even a mechanical bull in one area. Although, there were a few touches that made it look like a modern bar, like the pool table, and the TVs in the top corners of the room. And of course the collection of drunk men and women.

Sawyer and Kate found a place at the bar and sat on stools as they ordered drinks. At first, Kate felt a little out of place there, especially when a few of Sawyer's friends came over and greeted them. She couldn't help but notice that she'd never seen Sawyer look so…_happy_. He seemed to really fit in in this place. After a while, she was more comfortable and enjoying herself. Sawyer was playing pool with a few friends, and she stood by him, watching, forcing him to believe she couldn't play.

After a while, he made her try anyway. Her plan worked as he was leaning over her, his arms and hands on hers, helping her to position to hit the ball. He'd wrap himself around her every time, despite the fact that she was getting "better" at it. A few times, when she was just about to hit the ball, he nibbled and kissed at her ear and she'd laugh, missing her shot. His friends grew easily annoyed at how many do-overs Sawyer insisted she could have.

"Come on already! She already had five tries!" one of his friends, cried in a very southern accent.

"If she needs to try again, she'll try again!" Sawyer argued.

"Come on now! That ain't right. It ain't even a game no more!" another friend cried.

"Well, I don't know fellas. Maybe if this rowdy man here would stop bothering me, I might just be able to finish my turn!" she said, teasingly.

Sawyer looked at her in disbelief. "That's it!"

He grabbed her and kissed her, ignoring the many protests of his friends. In a little while, Kate went back to the bar to get a drink. Instead of going back by Sawyer, she stayed seated with her bottle of beer. She enjoyed watching him laughing and acting crazy with his friends. It was a side of him that she hadn't seen before. He came over to her a little while later. She was leaning over the bar asking the bartender something. He lower backside was inviting as her shirt slid upward while she leaned over. He snuck behind her and grabbed her waist.

"What're you doin' over here all alone?"

She jumped at his touch, and turned around, stepping off her stool.

"Watching you," she beamed. "So what's up?"

"They got a bet higher than you could imagine for ridin' the bull," he said, pulling her closer. "What do you think?"

She took her hat off and placed it on his head, adjusting it right. Then she smiled at him.

"Ride 'em, cowboy," she said, flirtatiously.

He pulled her close in a forceful and wild kiss. All the men in the bar were shouting wildly at the two. When he finally let her go, and started walking to the bull, she stumbled backward into her stool. That was a kiss that she certainly hadn't gotten before. He got on the bull, and held on with one hand. Before it started, he winked at her. She only laughed. The machine started slowly, but then got more and more intense. She watched him ride the bull wildly, desperately wishing she was beneath him instead of that stupid piece of machinery. Finally, when it stopped, everyone in the bar was shouting in rejoice. Katewasstill laughingas Sawyer threw his hands in the air victoriously. He swung one leg over and sat sideways.

"Get over here, Freckles!" he motioned for her to come.

"What? Are you crazy?" she said, her eyes widening.

Before she could object, the bullpen operator pulled her over and pushed her in. She looked up at Sawyer with wide eyes, and saw the excitement in his. He helped her up on it with him and it started out gently. Then it grew faster, just like she had watched it when he rode. But suddenly, it went too wild and they were shaken off backward, falling into the haystack behind them. She laughed and looked up at him. He was staring at her. She took his hat off and threw it aside, and he kissed her passionately, pushing her further down into the hay.

"All right! All right! Break it up you two!" shouted the bullpen operator.

They laughed and got up, brushing the hay off of them. While Sawyer busied himself collecting money from a couple of buddies, Kate sat on her stool, her back to the counter. Taking her bottle, she took a swig and watched Sawyer mocking his friends. She laughed as they all started to suddenly laugh and scream. Just then, she felt someone sit down beside her. She turned and looked and was face to face with a man who looked no younger than forty, and it showed.

"Well hey there, beautiful!" the man said in her ear, giving away he was clearly drunk.

"Hi," Kate said, uncertainly, looking away from him.

"You're purty," he said, leaning closer.

"You're drunk," she told him.

"I ain't drunk! I swear it!"

"Yeah, you are," she said, looking for Sawyer again.

"You're right, doll. I _am_ drunk. Drunk on your fineness!" he said, with a toothy grin.

"Thanks, but I have to go now," she said, putting her bottle down and turning away from the counter.

"Don't go!" he said, grabbing her arm.

She looked down at his hand on her arm, then looked back at him sternly.

"Let go of me, please," she said, calmly.

"I just wanna know you!" he said, tightening his grasp.

"Please let go of me," she said, starting to panic.

"And taste you," he purred, pulling her closer. His eyes were suddenly wide with craving.

At that moment, Sawyer looked over and saw Kate struggling. He headed over to her.

"Let me go!" she cried. "Please!"

"Naw. I don't think so."

She kicked him as hard as she could in the shin.

"God damn, girl!" he cried, stumbling. He pulled her arm sharply, and she fell into him.

"HEY!" Sawyer shouted to the man.

Both Kate and the man froze. He instantly released Kate's arm and she moved away from him quickly.

"I think she said leave her alone," Sawyer glared.

"I don't want no trouble, sir. I was just tryin' ta get to know her!"

"Maybe she don't wanna be known by assholes like you!"

"'Scuuuse me?"

"You heard me, scumbag!" He went over and grabbed the man's collar. In a coarse voice, he added, "You leave her alone."

Instead of responding, the man sent a swift blow across Sawyer's face. Sawyer blinked slowly, wiping blood from his lip.

"Don't say I didn't warn ya," Sawyer said quietly.

Then he punched the man into the stools, and he fell to the ground. When he found the strength to get up, he glared at Sawyer then punched him in the stomach with all his might, forcing him to the floor. After running a hand over his head, Sawyer saw blood on his fingers. He threw the man off of him and punched him across the face, leaving him on the floor as he got up.

"Sawyer!" Kate gasped.

By now, everyone, including Sawyer's friends, had seen what happened. He looked around, then grabbed Kate's hand.

"Let's go."

Kate looked back at the man once more, then they left the bar.


	17. Chapter 17

TITLE: Like a Boomerang  
CHARACTERS: Kate, Sawyer, some Jack  
RATED: PG-13 for the time being.  
EPISODES: Set after the story "Drawn Together": The raft is successful.  
STATUS: Chapter Seventeen of….Unknown  
BETA READER: Nicki and Ben (Two of my friends that are hooked!)  
DISCLAIMER: I don't own any characters from the show LOST. I certainly don't own Kate or Sawyer. (tear tear) But I do, however, own the rights to this story and my imagination that created it.

Quickie:  
Okay, look. I realize that this whole chapter seems like it was cheaply ripped off from Leah Kate. I swear to you, I had no intention of sounding like her. I wrote this before I started to read her story. And then I realized she had done the same thing...I just don't want any complaints or complications so I'm just warning everyone now, that this chapter wasn't ripped off of hers, as much as it may sound like it.

**Chapter 17**

When Sawyer and Kate got back to the house, Sawyer threw his keys on the mantle angrily and took a seat on the couch. He unbuttoned his shirt and took it off to see the damage done to his stomach. No blood, but he was badly bruised up. He traced over the bruises and winced at the pain. He kicked off his boots, muttering angrily to himself.

Kate came in from the kitchen, holding a plastic bag full of ice. She sat on the couch next to him, and held it on his stomach.

"You all right?"

"I'll live," he assured her.

"You didn't have to do that, you know. I could've gotten rid of him."

"Puh-lease. You looked like you were ready to start screamin' like a baby!" he teased.

"Oh really?" she said, pressing the ice deeper into his stomach.

He shouted out in pain. "You're gonna pay for that later," he said, once he finally calmed down.

"Okay," she laughed.

"Damn asshole…" he muttered.

"Excuse me?"

"Not _you_." He moved the ice a little higher, and looked at her. "He say anything to you before I came?"

"No. He was just drunk and flirting."

"Bastard…"

"Relax," she laughed. "He didn't do anything to me."

"If he had, I'da kicked his ass."

"And what exactly was that you just did a little while ago?"

"That was just a warning," he grinned.

"It's a wonder you still have friends around here…"

"Some of them are still alive _because_ they're friends with me."

She started rubbing the scrape on his head with the side of her thumb. He winced in pain, turning his head away from her.

"Damn! You don't gotta be so rough about it!"

"I'm not! I'm just trying to wipe the blood away."

"Well be careful! It hurts!"

"It's a scrape!" she laughed, wiping it again.

"It's my head, I'll tell you how bad it is!"

She laughed.

"_What_?" he said, annoyed.

"Just remembering the time you said that on the island."

"Said what?"

"_It's my knee, I'll tell you how bad it is!_" she said, imitating him in a deep voice.

"Whatever…"

"I'd hate to bring this up now," she said, hesitantly. "But we need to talk…"

"You gonna break up with me, Freckles?" he said, the corners of his mouth slowly turning upward.

"Why would you ask that?"

"Ain't that how it always goes on TV?"

She rolled her eyes. "We need to have another chat about…the baby."

Her words rang in his ears. It was like one of those ringing sounds you get randomly and you can't hear anything for a minute. He'd completely forgotten about the pregnancy ever since they last talked about it. It probably wasn't the best idea to have her go on the bull with him after all…

"All right," he said quietly.

"I stand by what I said before."

"What's that?"

"Getting rid of it."

He shook his head. "I don't think – "

"You don't think I should?"

"Hell no. I don't believe in that shit."

"Well it's the only reasonable thing to do, Sawyer."

"You know, I think the only reason you don't wanna keep it is 'cause it would make all this – " he gestured around the room with his hand. "You and me. It would tie the knot between us. Make it permanent!"

"What?" she said, surprised.

"It would make things with us stable. And you couldn't just run like always if somethin' happened!"

"I can't believe you'd even say that!"

"Why? It's the truth, ain't it? _I _know sooner or later you ain't gonna wanna stay here anymore!"

"You don't know that."

"Oh I know it, sweetheart."

She shook her head, looking away from him.

"Whatever. You do what you want. It's _your_ body."

He looked away, moving the ice around his stomach again. He knew everything she had said was right. They really couldn't keep it, because eventually, it'd get torn away from them. And what kind of father would _he_ make? But still, there was something about the whole situation that made him feel strange. There was a big part of him that desperately wanted her to keep it.

She took a long pause. Then, as if reading his thoughts, she said, "You're saying you want to keep it?"

"Well…I mean, I dunno. I just…I don't think it deserves to die. I mean at least not without reason."

"But I gave you the reason!"

"Yeah, and?"

"And _what_? What do you want me to say?"

"I don't know. Say whatever you wanna say!"

"You're making this really difficult, you know that?"

"Well, _good_!"

"So we're against each other on this?"

"What?"

"You want it, I don't."

"I didn't say – "

"Just admit it, Sawyer! You know you want to keep it. _I _know you want to keep it. There's no harm in admitting it, at this point."

"Fine! I do wanna keep it. All right?"

"Okay."

"So what're we gonna do about it?"

"I don't know."

"And we're right back where we started," he threw his hands in the air.

"Well we need to figure this out. We can't just keep putting it off. Because nine months later…"

"I know, I know!"

She sighed, unable to think of what to say anymore. Talking about this was beginning to seem useless. They had opposing thoughts.

"Look. It ain't up to me. It's up to you. You're the one carryin' it, so you decide what to do. You wanna get rid of it, fine!"

"I just want to know what it is that makes you want to keep it. I mean after I explained every reason we can't and you still want to. I don't get it."

"I don't know," he said, rubbing his head.

"Yes, you do."

"I just…" he took a long pause. "I mean can you imagine a little rug rat runnin' around here? A little bit of you and a little bit of me all in one?"

She smiled, imagining it. "Yeah."

"Imagine _us_ takin' care of a kid. It's practically the one thing we both can't ever have because of the way our lives are. You don't feel like you wish you could keep it?"

"Of course I wish I could keep it. You don't even know the half of it. To be able to have a child…I mean when I delivered Claire's baby on the island. I saw how happy she was holding him in her arms. And I wanted that. I was jealous of her because she was allowed to have a baby, and I wasn't. I'm not. The happiest moment of her life and there I was, resenting her for being able to have what I can't. How insane is that?"

He didn't say anything.

"And that look on your face when you saw it," she laughed. "To see _that_ face everyday…"

He looked at her sympathetically, seeing tears start to form. She swallowed, and shrugged.

"But it could never happen."

"Why not? What's the harm in giving it a shot?" he asked quietly.

"Because it'd get taken away from us," she said, tears starting to fall. "And I don't think I could handle that."

"You don't know that that could happen. How long's it been since Texas? And it still ain't on TV. You're still safe, Kate."

"But it's only a matter of time," she said, shaking her head.

"So why waste it? Why not just say the hell with it?"

She looked away, biting her lip, considering his words. He had a point. She had wanted nothing more than to have a child of her own. And the only thing that was preventing her from that was her criminal status. But it was on a hiatus, for who knew how long. So why not go for it…

She turned back to him, leaning closer, and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"The hell with it," she said, and kissed him tenderly.


	18. Chapter 18

TITLE: Like A Boomerang  
CHARACTERS: Kate, Sawyer, some Jack  
RATED: PG-13 for the time being.  
EPISODES: Set after the story "Drawn Together": The raft is successful.  
STATUS: Chapter Eighteen of….Unknown  
BETA READER: Nicki and Ben (Two of my friends that are hooked!)  
DISCLAIMER: I don't own any characters from the show LOST. I certainly don't own Kate or Sawyer. (tear tear) But I do, however, own the rights to this story and my imagination that created it.

Quickie:  
You don't realize the great fun I have in writing this… Heheh.

**Chapter 18**

It was strange how quickly a few months had gone by since they had their talk about the baby. Kate was already starting to show quite a bit, even though it was only her fourth month. The morning sickness had eventually lessened then stopped, but Kate became very nagging, without even realizing so.

"Sawyer!" she called from the kitchen.

"What is it now, Freckles?"

"What happened to the - " she started.

"Should still be some in the fridge on the door," he interrupted, already knowing what she was looking for.

"Well, I don't see it here!" she called again.

"Damn, girl! When did you get so naggy?"

"Never mind," she said, annoyed.

He continued flipping through the TV channels while she found what she was looking for. She came back with a box of graham crackers and the jar of marshmallow fluff. She took a seat next to him, and started opening the jar.

"So I'm naggy, huh?" she teased.

"Unbelievably," he said.

"Well, you know, at least I still get up and get whatever I need. At least I don't make you get up and do it for me!"

"Yeah, not _yet_."

"Oh please. Like you'd ever get off your ass…" she said, dipping her finger in the jar to spread some on the cracker.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You never do _anything_!"

"Who cuts and brings in the damn wood for the fire to keep us warm?"

"Okay, fine," she said, eating the graham cracker.

"And who drives you to your god damned appointments? And what about the laundry?"

"Oh don't even start with that! I help you out with the laundry!"

"Fine! I'm just makin' a point!"

"All right," she said, backing off, finishing off the snack.

"I _do _stuff," he grumbled childishly.

"Put a cork in it, Sawyer," she said, dipping her finger in the jar again.

"Tell me to shut up?" he said as he grabbed her finger, trying to pull it away from her.

"Hey!" she protested, pulling back.

He pulled it over to his mouth, and she forced her hand away, but he only pulled more and then sucked off the fluff.

She pulled her finger away sharply.

"Mm. That's pretty good."

"Jerk," she laughed, and dipped her finger in again.

This time, she turned away from him as she spread it on the cracker. As she put it up to her mouth about to eat it, he grabbed her hand and pulled it over again. She tried to fight back but he ended up eating the cracker too.

"Hey!" she looked at him in disbelief.

"What?" he asked innocently.

"Come on! I'm hungry!" she laughed.

"So am I!" he grinned.

"So get your own!"

"What do you think I'm doin'?"

She leaned over on the side of the couch, hoarding the fluff and graham crackers to herself. Sawyer grabbed her waist and pulled her backward down on his lap. He forced her fingers into the jar and licked the fluff off of them, and she laughed and tried to pull away in objection. She sat up a little bit, her back leaning on his chest.

"I'm never going to get any of this, am I?"

"Probably not."

He tried forcing her fingers in the jar again, but this time, she smeared all the fluff on his face.

"Oh that's just messed up!"

She sat up and turned to face him, laughing. "Don't mess with my food, then."

"I should make _you_ clean it off me," he said, getting up to go to the kitchen.

"I don't think so," she called after him.

"What time's that damn appointment tomorrow mornin'?" he called.

"Mmmm…I think 10:30."

"That's an early one," he said, as he came back in, his face clean.

"Well I think tomorrow's an important one."

"That so," he said, growing easily uninterested.

She shrugged and continued to eat her snack, while he still couldn't decide on a channel.

* * *

The next morning, Kate was in the kitchen fixing some coffee when Sawyer finally came downstairs.

"Took you long enough," she teased.

"I ain't a mornin' person, 'case you haven't noticed," he said, groggily.

"No. I noticed," she said, placing a cup of coffee in front of him.

"You spoil me, Freckles," he said tiredly, taking a sip.

She laughed. "Because I make you coffee in the morning?"

"Good a reason as any," he grinned.

"Well don't forget, you have to take me to the doctor's in an hour."

He put the cup down, annoyed. "You just had to tell me that _now_, didn't ya?"

"Well I figured since I had you in a good mood…"

"Yeah. Right."

"If anyone should be complaining, it's me, having to carry this thing around for months."

"Slowly losin' that flat stomach you once had," he teased.

She frowned, sitting across from him.

"Come on, Freckles. I was kidding!"

"Yeah, but it's true."

"So what? It's only for a few more months."

"Yeah. I guess."

"I ain't gonna have to go with you to get maternity clothes and all that shit, am I?"

She pushed her chair out, glaring at him, then got up and went upstairs angrily.

"What?" he called.

An hour later, they made it to the doctor's office. Sawyer let Kate go in while he parked the truck. He sat there for a good ten minutes, deciding whether he should go in and wait for her, or just wait out here like always. He didn't know why he was considering it if he always sat outside. She was quieter than usual all morning. What _was_ she keeping from him?

About forty-five minutes later, she was finished, and Sawyer hadn't moved from the truck. His head was thrown back and his eyes were closed. She got into the truck quietly, then slammed the door closed. His head snapped forward, eyes opened. He looked at her and let out a breath of relief. She seemed to be smiling from ear to ear. What was _that_ about?

"You gonna tell me why you're smilin' like that or are you just gonna leave me hangin' here?"

"Well, I told you it was an important one today."

"Yeah. So?"

"Do you want to know the gender of your baby, Sawyer?" she said with a mischievous smile.

His annoyed expression evaporated and his eyes widened. She couldn't help but laugh.

"And you knew all along today was the day?"

"Yeah."

"Why the hell didn't you tell me? I woulda come inside instead of waitin' out here!"

"I wanted it to be a surprise."

"I hate surprises," he said, grumpily.

"I know."

He let out an exasperated sigh. "Well?"

She took a long pause, enjoying every moment of his agonizing wait. Unable to hold back anymore, she laughed.

"All right. We're having a boy."

He looked at her in disbelief. "A boy?" he repeated.

"A little southern – perverted - Sawyer jr."

"Now hang on a tick. I ain't gonna stick him with _that_ name. It ain't even _my_ name. But beside that, there ain't gonna be no _juniors_," he said, in a funny voice. "Sounds too feminine for my liking."

She laughed. "Fine. We can decide on a name later."

"Fine," he said, pulling out of the parking lot. "_Sawyer Jr_.," he muttered aloud.

Kate smiled to herself and closed her eyes as she leaned her head on the window. The only thing she was thinking at that moment was they'd better not hit any bumps in the road.


	19. Chapter 19

TITLE: Like A Boomerang  
CHARACTERS: Kate, Sawyer, some Jack  
RATED: PG-13 for the time being.  
EPISODES: Set after the story "Drawn Together": The raft is successful.  
STATUS: Chapter Nineteen of….Unknown  
BETA READER: Nicki and Ben (Two of my friends that are hooked!)  
DISCLAIMER: I don't own any characters from the show LOST. I certainly don't own Kate or Sawyer. (tear tear) But I do, however, own the rights to this story and my imagination that created it.

Quickie:  
((Just wanted to say, if your name is in this chapter, I mean no offense in using it. It's just for the sake of the plot. And yes, The Notebook came into play again. You know you thought of Sawyer at that part of the movie :P Or at least I did…))

**Chapter 19**

"How about Joshua?" Kate offered.

"Yeah, right," Sawyer replied.

"It's a good name."

"Sounds like a damn saint!"

As the day wore on, Kate and Sawyer were always coming back to the topic of the baby. Whether it be where he would sleep, or who would wake up in the middle of the night to take care of him, or buying him his clothes. Eventually, night crept up on them and they found themselves on the floor in the living room, thinking of names.

"You're hopeless, Sawyer! Absolutely hopeless!"

"How you gonna stick the kid with the name Joshua?"

"It's not a bad name."

"Sounds like somethin' _Jack_ would name _his_ kid."

"Very funny."

"I ain't jokin', sweetheart," he said, taking a sip of his whiskey.

"Fine. What have you got in mind then?"

"I'll be honest," he said, slapping his hand on the wooden floor beside him. "I ain't got nothin' in mind!"

"Well trying a little harder wouldn't hurt."

"Fine!"

She sighed, flipping through the pages of the Baby Names book she purchased that morning. "What about Matthew? Or Michael?"

"First, Michael is outta the question."

"Fine," she agreed. "Not really a fan of the name either."

"Second, _Matthew_ - " he said with a grimace. "- sounds too jock."

She sighed and tossed the book on his lap. "Well you pick something!"

"Fine!" He opened to a random page and pointed to a name. "There. Okay?"

She looked down at the name printed on the paper. She looked up at Sawyer both angry and upset, then got up and went into the kitchen. Confused, he looked down at the name too, then realized his mistake. _Thomas_ would most definitely not work.

He got up, aggravated and tired, and went over to the kitchen. She was leaning over the sink, both hands on either side of it.

"Look. I'm sorry. I didn't mean for that to happen."

"No, of course not," she said, bitterly.

"It was a mistake! I picked it out by random!"

"Yeah. Funny how _that_ name was the one you chose."

"Oh. You wanna blame me for the laws of probability, now, sweet cheeks?"

"You know what? Forget it. I'm tired and I'm cranky. I think I'm just going to go to bed."

"Yeah, you do that," he said, unintentionally, aloud.

She looked at him angrily then pushed through him, heading upstairs. He went to the doorway after her.

"Come on, Freckles! I didn't mean that!" he called after her.

She only tossed her hands backward, as if pushing him away, as she went up the stairs. He heard the door slam and sighed, slumping onto the couch. He turned the TV on, browsing channels for something to watch. He watched nonchalantly as he changed each channel slowly.

"Yeah right. Like I'm gonna watch anything on _Lifetime_," he said, as he passed over that channel. "News…Somethin' bout Houston. Whatever," he said, flipping through more channels. "_Sex and the City?_ Puh-lease."

He gave up after awhile, finding nothing to watch. He tried to look through the book of baby names on the floor, but none of the names suited him. Joey? Eric? Timothy? Who were they kidding? He flipped a few more pages then tossed the book aside. He went upstairs, turning the downstairs light switches off. After getting rid of his shirt and jeans, he lied next to Kate, who was curled up facing away from him. He knew she wasn't asleep yet. He wrapped his arms around her and whispered to her,

"Don't pretend to be asleep. I know you ain't."

"What makes you think I was pretending?" she said, turning over, wriggling out of his grasp.

"I can tell when you're lyin', remember?" he said, propping his head up on one arm.

"One of the many disadvantages of living here."

"Yeah? I'd like to see Doc take better care of you than this!"

"Jack would probably take much better care of me than you ever could," she said, sharply.

He sat up, hit hard by her words. "Yeah? Then what the hell are you still lyin' here for?"

"Gee, I don't know. You tell me, Sawyer!" she said, sitting up and looking down at her stomach.

"Don't even try to go puttin' the blame on the damn kid, sassafras. 'Cause you know you can leave anytime. You can take it and go _back_ to your precious Jack!"

"You're being a real asshole, you know that?"

"Yeah? Well you're bein' a pain in the ass but you don't see me complainin'!"

"And what exactly was that?"

"That was a fact," he said, simply.

"Why do you have to make everything so damn difficult, Sawyer? Why does everything with you have to be a conflict?"

"Well, what do you expect?"

"What do I expect! I expect something a little more than an argument every time I try to talk about something serious!"

"We argue! It's what we're good at!"

"It's not something to brag about!" she argued.

"I ain't braggin'! I'm just sayin'!"

"No. You're arguing!"

"So? We argue! That's what we do. And then we make up!" he continued, ignoring her. "And you have, like, a three-second rebound rate and you're off doin' the next damn thing!"

"So it's barely even a relationship then, is that it?" she asked.

"I didn't say that!" he said, getting more annoyed. "What I meant was – "

"No. You said exactly what you meant to," she said, tossing the covers aside.

He watched her get up, angrily, and put her shoes on by the bedroom door.

"Now what the hell are you doing?"

"Going for a walk," she said, distractedly.

"Like hell you are!"

"Why? You want to stop me?"

He sat up. "Yeah. I do!"

"Go ahead and try then," she said, speed-walking down the stairs.

Inhaling slowly, almost ready to scream his head off at her, he got up and quickly got his jeans back on. Disregarding his shoes and shirt, he ran down the stairs after her. He stopped to listen, and heard the sliding door in the kitchen slam closed. He went in the kitchen and saw her already stomping through the woods. Angrily, he slid the door open, and ran after.

"Kate!"

After a short time, he stopped, looking around, as he realized she was nowhere to be seen. He only heard his own gasping for breath.

"KATE!" he shouted again, looking around. Still no reply. He waited a moment longer, then finally said in forfeit, "Fine, Freckles! You stay out here! See if I care!"

He didn't move from his spot. He waited, expecting her to come out and yell at him for saying that. But she didn't. He started to feel panicky, but he shook it off. She was fine. This was just her trying to play games with him. Well, he wasn't going to stand around and let her control him. He started to walk back to his house, only to step on a branch.

"Ow! Son of a bitch!" he shouted to the forest. "Damn trees…"

He made it back to his house only a few minutes later. He stood at the door for only a few seconds. Before going inside, he shouted to her again.

"You keep running, Princess! You see how far you can run 'till you end up back here again! You hear me?"

The only response was his echo, repeating his words back to him…


	20. Chapter 20

TITLE: Like A Boomerang  
CHARACTERS: Kate, Sawyer, some Jack  
RATED: PG-13 for the time being.  
EPISODES: Set after the story "Drawn Together": The raft is successful.  
STATUS: Chapter Twenty of….Unknown  
BETA READER: Nicki and Ben (Two of my friends that are hooked!)  
DISCLAIMER: I don't own any characters from the show LOST. I certainly don't own Kate or Sawyer. (tear tear) But I do, however, own the rights to this story and my imagination that created it.

Quickie:  
Why are there always woods and running involved with the two of them…((shaking head at self))

**Chapter 20 **

Sawyer awoke earlier than usual the next morning. He couldn't figure out why, but even though he didn't want to admit it, it was probably because Kate wasn't next to him. The warmth of her body next to his was missing all night, preventing him from sleeping fully. He got up and went downstairs, hoping to find her on the couch. But no one was there. He looked all around for any sign of her coming back, but it was without a doubt that she was gone.

Sighing, he went into the kitchen and was forced to make himself a cup of coffee. It came out horribly and he wound up drinking some of his whiskey in its place. He kept looking out the window and door, hoping to see her walking out of those damn woods. But all morning long, she never did. He skipped making himself breakfast and went right to the couch. He felt something sharp sticking his back as he lied down. When he sat up and found what it was, he was holding the toy plane of Tom's that Kate had always kept. Furious, he threw it across the room, and it miraculously landed in front of the sliding door.

He didn't see, but Kate was standing right near the door, watching him. She looked down at the plane that he threw. He didn't even seem to mind that she was gone. He had made himself coffee, and he was already relaxing on the couch watching TV. So it really didn't make a difference if she was there with him or not? Why had she tortured herself so long believing that he had really cared for her? She turned away from the window and strolled back into the woods, hoping to get lost for a long time, possibly forever.

She couldn't tell by looking, but Sawyer was the furthest thing from relaxed. This little runaway game was driving him mad. It was only one night that she'd been gone, and already he felt helpless. He couldn't concentrate on what was on TV. The same thing about Houston again was the only thing he saw before his mind started wandering again. He couldn't stop himself from thinking about her. He sat up and rubbed his head, exhaling. He would've gone to look for her, but he didn't want to find her and have her think he was worried. Although he was, he had no intentions of letting her know that. That would make him appear weak – one thing he certainly was not! He would play by his own rules and wait.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Three days passed and Kate still hadn't returned. Sawyer was desperately lacking sleep, and hadn't yet showered. He wasn't going to miss the moment she came back. By the evening of the fourth day she'd gone missing, Sawyer was antsy and eager to go looking for her. But he didn't, for he knew that was exactly what she wanted. Still, he couldn't help but worry. He sat in the kitchen, watching the door, waiting for it to open and she'd step through. And he'd go over to her and scoop her into his arms, never letting go. He tapped his fingers impatiently on the table, with nothing better to do.

He got up finally, and browsed his almost empty fridge for something, even though he wasn't hungry. He shut the door and turned around to go to the liquor cupboard, but froze. There was a slight movement by the door and he heard the rustling. There was something out there. He snuck over to the entrance to the kitchen and hit the outside light switch. His heart jumped as he turned to look out. But Kate wasn't standing there. He was looking into the eyes of a raccoon that was caught trying to get into his garbage can. He sighed and went over to the door, kicking it lightly with his foot. The raccoon ran away and he leaned on the door.

He looked out at the woods. In his mind, he could hear himself repeating "Go find her." And yet, he remained in his spot, just staring. He turned his head to the side and saw a shadow from the side of the house. Standing up straight, his eyebrows lowered in confusion. What the hell was giving off that shadow? He slid the door open and stepped out to see. There in the dark was a pair of dark eyes, shining from the porch light. Kate. Her eyes widened and she darted for the woods. Sawyer's heart raced and he ran after her.

Distracted by thoughts of how similar this was to life with Sawyer on the island, Kate's running had slowed its pace. He caught up with her and knocked her to the ground, like always, holding her arms down.

"'Bout time, Freckles," he panted.

"Get off of me!" she said, head butting him.

"Ahh!" he rubbed his head with one hand. "Damn, girl!"

She wriggled and tried to fight her way out of his grasp, but it was no use.

"Don't think you're gonna go runnin' again, sweet cheeks. Now that I got you here, you ain't goin' anywhere."

"Going to keep me hostage, is that it, Sawyer?"

"I'm thinkin' about it," he joked.

She was able to lift her knee up and knee-jabbed him in the groin. He doubled over in pain and she was free. She ran again, and he instantly forgot the pain, running after her. Her mistake was looking back to see if he was there. Because of that, she fell, her ankle twisting the wrong way. She cried out in pain. When Sawyer finally reached her, he was gasping for air.

"You sure put up a hell of a fight, Freckles," he said, holding his stomach.

"Sawyer, I can't feel my leg," she said desperately.

"What?" he said, in disbelief.

"My leg!" she cried out in pain. "I can't feel it!"

He bent down next to it, and took a look. "You sure it's your leg?"

"Yeah."

He took her leg and slowly bent it. "That hurt?"

"Can't feel it, remember?"

"Right. Well the leg ain't broken."

He took her ankle in one hand, trying to steady the leg. She let out a scream as a sharp pain pierced through her the moment he touched her ankle. He instantly dropped it.

"Damn! Sorry!"

"Okay, I don't think it's my leg."

"What do you mean?"

"I felt the pain when you grabbed my ankle."

"You think it's broken?"

"How the hell would I know?"

He was taken aback by her words. He'd never heard her say 'hell' before now. It must've been some pain.

"Can you walk on it?"

"I don't know," she said, holding back another cry of pain.

He took her arms, helping her to stand. She bit her lip as she tried to stand on her right leg. She shook her head, and leaned back into Sawyer.

"I can't. It hurts."

"You can walk on the other one though, can't ya?"

"Yeah."

"Fine. Then I can help you make it back to the house."

"Fine," she said, reluctantly.

He wrapped one arm around her waist and she put an arm around his shoulders to maintain her balance. At the slow rate they were going, it would take at least 10 minutes to get back to the house.

"What the hell have you been doin' out here anyway?"

"Climbing trees," she retorted.

"I shoulda guessed that one."

After a long pause, she said, "Don't think just because you have your arm around me that it makes everything okay."

"Wasn't thinkin' that."

"I'm still mad at you."

"I know," he grinned in the dark.

She sighed and the rest of the walk to the house was in silence. When they finally made it back, Sawyer had her sit on the couch, propping up her leg. He got some ice and handed it to her, sitting on the arm of the couch, by the ankle. He looked at it disgustedly.

"Your ankle always that _fat_?"

She rolled her eyes. "It's swollen. From the break or sprain, whichever it is."

"How do you tell which it is?"

"I don't know. I've never broken anything before."

"You? Jane of the Jungle, swingin' from trees? Never broke a bone?"

"My wrist, once. But it was when I was really young," she said. "I was only told about it. I can't even remember it."

"Damn."

"What do we do?" she said, struggling to sit up.

"You're askin' the wrong person, Freckles."

She reached into the pocket of her jeans and pulled out a small paper, reaching out to hand it to Sawyer.

"Here. Call this number."

"Whose is it?"

"Just call it," she said, agitated.

"Fine."

He went into the kitchen and dialed the 10 digits and waited as it rang. After the seventh ring, he was about to hang up, but someone finally answered.

"Hello?"

It was a man's voice. Sawyer's eyebrows furrowed. "Who's this?"

"Sawyer?" the man asked surprised.

"Who the hell is this?"

"What do you mean who is this? You called me."

"JACK?"


	21. Chapter 21

Quickie:  
Getting rid of all the extra stuff that used to take up space at above. But anyways, thanks for the reviews to those that still are around for it. Sorry I haven't been keeping up with this lately. I had a big mishap with my computer. All the files of all my writing were deleted, couldn't get them back, spent a week recovering everything. So now I should be back on schedule. So no more of my rambling on. Here's:

**Chapter 21**

"Yeah?"

Sawyer immediately hung up the phone and went back into the living room, angrily.

"Unbelievable, Freckles!"

She looked at him, rolling her eyes.

"You are really somethin', ya know that?"

"Calm down."

"How're you gonna tell me to _calm down_? You just tricked me into callin' Jack!"

"Yeah. Who else is going to fix this? It's obvious you don't know what you're doing!"

"You coulda gone to the doctor's in town!" he exclaimed, turning away from her, leaning on the mantle.

"How? If I go to a doctor in town they'll need to find my records. And that would be the end of me. You really think either of us wants that?"

"What about all your stinkin' appointments? That's a doctor!"

"It's a clinic. And I gave them a false identity. As far as they know, my name is Lindsey…" she paused, hesitating to go on. "Sheppard."

He turned around, looking at her in awe. "_Sheppard?_"

"It was the only name I could think of at the time!"

"What about mine?"

"Come on, Sawyer. Do you really think they'd trust me if I told them my last name was Sawyer? Knowing who you are?"

"Ford."

"What am I, a truck?"

"Ford's _my_ last name! James Ford!"

"Oh."

She blushed, embarrassed, and was quiet. She should've known that from the passport. The silence was broken by the ringing of the phone. Sawyer, annoyed, went in the kitchen and checked the caller ID. He took the cordless off the kitchen table and handed it to her.

"I don't wanna talk to him."

She rolled her eyes, taking the phone. "Keep acting like a baby, Sawyer."

"Yeah, whatever."

With that, he grabbed his pack of cigarettes from the mantle and took one out. She sighed and answered the ringing phone.

"Hello?"

There was no reply on the other end.

"Hello?" she repeated.

"Kate?" Jack asked quietly.

"Yeah?"

"You're…in Tennessee?"

"Yeah…It's a long story."

"With Sawyer?"

"Again, long story."

"Any special reason he called?"

"I told him to."

"How did you get my number? Or even know where I was?"

"You forget who I am, Jack," she teased.

Sawyer scoffed and looked away, letting out a puff of smoke. He was disgusted having to stand back watching Kate converse with Jack like he was a good friend.

"Why did you call, Kate?"

"I hate to be a burden, but Sawyer's clueless, and with my current status…We have kind of a situation."

"_We_ have a situation, or _you_ do?"

"Jack you know I can't really go to a doctor."

There was a pause. "Kate, this doesn't have anything to do with – "

"No! No. Of course not!" She looked over at Sawyer, who was cocking his head at her. "It's my ankle."

"What's wrong with it?"

"There was a little accident, and it's swelling more and more by the minute. I'm not sure if it's broken or a sprain."

"Is he hurting you, Kate?"

"Jack!"

"I'm serious. If he is, I'll call the police."

"That won't be much help to me."

"Sorry…"

"Don't apologize."

"Well what do you want me to do all the way in LA? I'm not hopping a plane over there. I have no desire to see Sawyer."

"Yeah. Don't think he'd really like seeing you either."

"Well how bad is the swelling?"

"Um…Let's just say my ankle doesn't look like an ankle anymore. More of a…salami stick kind of thing…"

"Okay. And is there any discoloration?"

"Doesn't look like it."

"Did you hear any kind of snap when you hurt it?"

"No."

"Can you move it?"

"Very little. I can't put any weight on it though."

"And there's no bearing of bone?"

"No."

"Sounds like a bad sprain."

"What do I do?"

"Just keep it elevated, and iced until the swelling goes down. Don't walk on it. Don't put too much pressure on it. It'll heal on its own. You'll probably be able to walk on it in about two weeks."

"You mean I can't walk at all?"

"Well, with help. Only if you really need it."

"You mean like bathroom trips?"

"Yeah. Don't suppose he'd be willing to help you with that?"

"Oh I think he will," she said, looking at him deviously.

"What the hell are you plotting?" Sawyer asked.

"All right. Well, sorry to have to cut this short but I have to go. I'm being paged."

"It's okay."

"Did he do it, Kate?"

"No, he didn't," she sighed. "It was an accident. I fell."

"He thinks _I _did it?" Sawyer shouted.

"See he hasn't changed."

"Not really, no."

"I'll talk to you later, Kate."

"Gimme the phone!"

"Bye, Jack."

She hung it up, and faced the glaring Sawyer.

"He thinks _I _did it?" he repeated.

"Well can you blame him?"

"No! Why the hell would I do that? I never _once_ laid a hand on a girl!"

"Oh really? And all those times you tackled me were...what?"

"Just my way of sayin' I like ya," he said innocently, grinning.

She had to bite her tongue to restrain herself from laughing. She was supposed to be mad at him. But how could she be when he grinned like that, his dimples staring at her? And how could she be when he said that, despite the southern accent and deep voice, sounding so adorable – like a little kid? How she wished to be stuck in that cave on the island with him again.

"So what did Doc say?"

"That you'll have to cater to my every whim," she said, leaning back on the couch.

"'Scuse me?"

"Jack says I shouldn't walk on it for at least two weeks."

"Bull shit!"

"Call him back if you don't believe me," she said, holding the phone out to him.

He looked at it, then back to her. "How 'bout no? You're makin' that up."

"Why would I make it up? I'm mad at you, remember?"

"Revenge, sweetheart! It's the perfect way to get back at me!"

"Well," she paused. "Be that as it may, I'm nowhere near as shallow as you to sink so low as to even consider revenge."

"Hm," he grunted. "Why'd you make me call him then?"

"Because he's a doctor. And he knows what he's talking about."

"Yeah, so?"

"So if I didn't call, I'd be sitting here in much worse condition, probably."

"What're you carryin' around his number for?"

"Just in case."

"In case what? In case you ever need a place to hideout?" he said, accusingly.

"In case I ever want to get laid," she said, sarcastically. "What do you think? In case anything like this ever happened!"

"What? You think I can't handle it?"

She laughed. "You can't!"

"I would if you'd have given me a chance!"

"All right then. What do you propose we do?"

He took a long pause. "I don't know."

"My point, exactly."

"So what do I gotta do?"

"Like I said, you're my manservant for the next two weeks."

"Oh joy!" he said, lifting her ankle gently onto his lap as he sat.


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

For two and a half weeks, Kate relaxed on the couch while Sawyer worked to give her whatever she wanted. After the first week, Kate was able to walk on her ankle again. But she dared not tell Sawyer, especially since she had him wrapped around her finger.

Sawyer sat down at the kitchen table, sighing in relief for the bit of relaxation. Ever since she said he was her "manservant", he was up and down getting this and that for her. She wouldn't give him a break, so he had to take every minute that he was able to sit to his advantage. He didn't really mind taking care of her, despite himself. It was kind of a nice feeling to be the person she _had_ to depend on. But it was still damn annoying.

"Sawyer!" she called.

"Oh you gotta be kiddin' me," he muttered. Reluctantly, he got up and went to the living room. "Yeah?"

"I need some more juice," she said, holding her glass out to him with an innocent grin.

He took the glass and glowered at her. "You're enjoyin' this, aren't you?"

"Does it show?"

He shook his head and went back to the kitchen, refilling her glass. He returned it to her then went back to the kitchen, and sat.

"Sawyer!" she called again.

He groaned and got up, going back into the living room.

"Yes, you're royal highness?" he said, sarcastically.

"Sit," she said, thoughtfully, gesturing toward one of the arm chairs.

He looked at her curiously, then took a seat as he was directed. She didn't say anything else and directed her attention back to the TV.

"What's this about, Freckles?"

"What do you mean?"

"You said sit."

"Yeah," she nodded.

"Why?"

"Because you're tired." She started to blush a little bit. "And I don't want to be in here alone."

"Aw, Freckles, I'm touched!" he said, putting a hand on his chest.

She laughed. "Don't make me regret it."

"What're you gonna do? Kick me outta my own house?" he grinned.

"Maybe."

He chuckled. "I'd like to see you try Miss. Sprained Leg."

"You think I'd let a thing like that stop me?" she said, smiling.

"Oh-ho!" he smirked and folded his arms. "Guess that means you're good enough to walk on it then. And you won't be needin' me!"

She paused, her mouth hanging open slightly, trying to think of what to say. She looked away and laughed. "You tricked me," she said, looking back at him now.

He grinned, not confirming or denying.

"Okay. I can't walk on it yet. So, no, I can't kick you out."

"Guess you're just stuck with me then, Freckles," he said, looking at the TV.

She had one of those sappy romance movies on. _Daytime movies_, he thought to himself, sighing. _Could be worse,_ he supposed. At least he was sitting with her, and able to take a break. He had to admit, he enjoyed the view…

* * *

By the eighteenth day of her relaxation, Sawyer was fed up. 

"Jack said _two_ weeks! You should be walkin', jumpin', _runnin' _on it for cryin' out loud!"

"And yet, I'm not."

"You're fakin' it! You can walk. I've seen you!"

"If you've seen I can walk, then why are you still doing everything I ask?" she cleverly retorted.

He didn't answer and went over to the front door, looking out at the yard.

"It's startin' to snow again," he said, dully.

"Don't change the subject," she sat up, grinning.

"I'm not!"

"All right. Fine. You don't have to answer me. But just to remind you, I have another appointment coming up."

"Yeah? When?"

"Tomorrow afternoon."

"Why the hell do you always do that?"

"Do what?"

"Tell me everything at the last minute?"

"Please. What have you really got to do otherwise?"

"That's not the point!"

"Then what is?"

"You know, I don't like you right now."

"That's okay," she laughed.

He sighed and went to the mantle and grabbed his keys. "I'm goin' to the store. You want anything?"

"Ice – cream."

"In this weather? You're outta your head!"

"Pistachio."

"Fine."

"Wait. Maybe Chocolate…"

"I ain't got all day, Freckles."

"No. Pistachio."

"You're killin' me, Freckles," he said, as he left.

Sawyer's assumption was right. It had begun to snow heavily after he left. He came soaked and his hair full of flakes. Kate could only laugh. The rest of the day was quiet for the two. And the night was no different. Both woke late the next morning, and it was only an hour and a half until Kate's appointment. Neither were in a happy mood.

"I can't believe you let me sleep that late!" she accused.

Sawyer was showering while she put her hair up in the bathroom. He poked his head out from the curtain.

"How you gonna blame me for this! You wake yourself up, sweetheart!"

"You were awake!"

"I was not! If I was, don't you think I'd have woken you up?"

"I don't know."

"Well don't try to blame me for your irresponsibility, okay? Or I'm gonna have to splash you."

"Oh shut up," she rolled her eyes.

"What's got you in such a mood this morning?"

"Hurry up and finish showering already, will you?" she said, heading downstairs.

"I'll take my precious time!" he shouted.

A half hour later they were ready and out the door to the clinic. Sawyer waited in the truck like always, while Kate ran in. Strangely, this appointment was taking longer than usual. Sawyer kept checking the clock. Ten minutes passed. Then fifteen minutes passed. And suddenly a half hour had passed. Where the heck was she? Finally, an hour later, she came out of the building, her face drained of color. She got in the truck and sat down, without a word.

"You okay?" he asked quietly.

She only looked out the window and didn't answer. Deciding not to push any further, he started the truck and pulled out. It was a hauntingly quiet ride home. Kate looked out the window, speechless, motionless. The paleness of her face gave her a ghostlike appearance. Something wasn't right.

When they reached the house, she got out of the truck even before he turned it off. Quickly, he took the keys out of the ignition and got out to follow after her. When he got inside, she was already at the top of the stairs. He went after her, but she had already locked herself in the bathroom. He heard water running for a bath. Afraid of what she could be doing, he ran downstairs to find his keys.

Of course it was the worst time for them to have gone missing. It took him ten minutes to realize they were still in his pocket. When he got back up to the bathroom door, the water was off. He found the skeleton key on his ring and opened the door. She was lying in the bathtub, surrounded by foamy bubbles. He let out a breath of relief as she looked at him. Her face was bright red, but she didn't seem to be crying. He went over and kneeled next to her.

"What happened?" he asked quietly.

"It's over," she whispered, her voice cracking.

"What's over?"

She suddenly started to weep. "I miscarried," she said, raising her foam-covered hands to her face.

He got up and pulled his robe from the door. Kneeling with it draped on his lap, he took her wrist.

"Come on. Get outta there," he said, pulling her up.

When she stepped out, he wrapped the robe around her tightly, his hands remaining on her upper arms. She leaned her head on his chest and he wrapped his arms around her. She had gotten so weak with sadness the she collapsed to the floor on her knees. Sawyer sat with her in his lap. The whole time, he never let go of her…


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23 **

They sat in the same position for what seemed like hours. It had only been two. They hadn't gotten up yet, but Kate's weeping finally calmed. Sawyer was still holding her, subconsciously smoothing her hair.

"I was just getting used to the idea," she said in a quiet voice.

"I know," he told her.

"I was thinking how fun it would be," she closed her eyes, letting the tears fall silently. "I was starting to think maybe that finally – " she paused, and her voice lowered to a whisper, "finally, things might be looking up. And life wouldn't be as hard anymore."

He didn't say anything, but he felt the pain and sadness in her words and it blew him away. She sniffled and started wiping her eyes.

"They want me back there tomorrow night to clean everything out," she said, sullenly. Then in almost a whisper, she added, "but you don't have to come."

He shook his head. "I'm coming."

She nodded and they still didn't move…

**

* * *

**

The next day wore on, seemingly too slowly. By the time seven thirty rolled around, both Sawyer and Kate were quiet, realizing what was about to happen. By the time they got back from the clinic, it was already ten o' clock. They walked in the door and Sawyer dropped his keys onto the mantle, as usual. Kate slowly walked to the staircase. She turned around facing him. He stayed in his place, one hand still on the mantle.

"I'm just gonna go on up to bed," she said wearily.

"Okay."

He waited and watched her go up, and when she disappeared, he slumped onto the couch. Deciding he probably wouldn't be able to sleep, he turned the TV on.

"Shit," he muttered to himself. Then he called her back, "Freckles! You'd better get back down here!"

"What is it?" she said, already starting down the stairs.

He threw his hands in the air and tossed the remote aside. She looked at the TV, nearing the middle of the staircase. She stopped in her tracks. There on the screen was a rough sketch of what looked like _her_.

"After two weeks of only an inconclusive sketch, the police in Houston, Texas have finally discovered the identity of the suspect in the beating up of a group of young men."

There was a pause in the newscaster's speaking and suddenly Kate's mug shot appeared on the screen.

"The suspect is the fugitive Katherine Austen from the tragic flight Oceanic 815. If you have any information on the whereabouts of her, please contact us at the number on your screen."

She could barely breathe. She stared at her picture on the screen trying to maintain her balance, but lost it. Sawyer looked over but it was too late. She had already fainted and tumbled down the remaining few stairs.

When she woke finally she was lying on the couch with a strange feeling of coldness shooting through her. She felt Sawyer's hand resting on her forehead. When finally did open her eyes, she realized why. He was holding an ice pack to her head.

"How long have I been out?" she moaned, tiredly.

"Little over an hour," he told her.

"What happened?"

"You kiddin' me? You don't remember?"

"Vaguely."

He sighed. "You saw your face on TV and you were gone."

"Yeah," she closed her eyes. "That's what I was afraid of."

They were quiet. After a few minutes, Sawyer broke the silence.

"Shit!" he cried out, removing his hand from her head.

"What?" she said alarmed, sitting up.

"You coulda known about this sooner," he said, rubbing his head as he leaned against the mantle. He cursed silently, kicking himself mentally.

"How?"

"I…I heard somethin' about Houston the other night. Before you left."

"And you didn't tell me?" she exclaimed.

"I didn't think nothin' of it! Forgot Houston was in Texas…"

She leaned back sighing. "What a perfect ending to a day like today."

"Look, Kate, I'm…" he hesitated. "I'm _sorry_."

She closed her eyes, not responding to him.

"Hey. Didja hear me? I just _APOLOGIZED_!"

"I know," she said, quietly.

"And what, you ain't gonna forgive me?"

"I'm nowhere near in the mood to be civil with you, Sawyer."

"Fine," he said, grabbing his keys.

The minute she heard the jingle of the keys, her eyes snapped open and she sat up turning toward him.

"Where are you going?"

"Out."

She got up quickly, about to follow him as he stood by the open door. He turned around wearing an almost evil grin.

"Where do you think you're goin', sweetheart? Now that it's been shown on TV, you think anyone won't jump to turn you in?"

She glared at him. His words hurt her, but she shrugged it off quickly, knowing it was just Sawyer being himself. She stared at him, without a comeback. Then suddenly,

"Thought you said no one here watched the news?"

He stared at her for a minute. Then he grabbed the remote from the couch and flipped through the channels. Her face appeared on each and every one. It seemed to be a breaking news special. He stopped flipping and her mug-shot remained motionless. She stared at it.

"They do when it's on every channel," he said, coldly.

Without a word, she started to run up the stairs. Curious as to why, Sawyer followed her after arguing with himself not to. She was kneeling on the floor of his room, stuffing things into her backpack when he got up there.

"What're you doin'?"

"I have to leave."

"What?" he said, stunned.

"I can't stay here anymore. They'll come find me. Or someone at the bar might turn me in."

"None of 'em knew who you were!"

"The bartenders _weren't_ drunk, Sawyer!"

"They don't speak English either!" he reasoned.

"They don't…?"

"No. Only English they know are the names of all the damn drinks they serve."

"Well even still, I'm bound to be found hiding in just one place. They've never gotten their hands on me when I'm running from place to place."

She zippered her bag closed and swung it over one arm. Sawyer stepped in front of the doorway.

"No. I'm not lettin' ya leave!"

"I _have_ to!"

"Why? So someone can see you and turn you in? So a hidden cop can arrest you and lock you up? No. I'm not lettin' you get yourself caught!"

"Sawyer – "

"No!" he pulled the backpack from her and grabbed her arm. Surprisingly, she didn't fight it. "You think you're any safer out there than you are here?"

She sighed. Witha rapid change of heart, he started pulling her toward the bed.

"You had a long night. You got no idea what you're talkin' about."

He put her bag down by the night table and sat her down on the bed. He kneeled in front of her and took her hands.

"You get a good night's sleep and we'll sort things out in the mornin' over breakfast, all right?"

She nodded, looking down.

"No runnin'," he whispered.

She looked at him, grateful for his kindness. He walked to the door, then stopped abruptly and turned around.

"Least not without me," he grinned.

She smiled weakly and he walked out. She lay back on the bed, amazed at how exhausted she suddenly felt. Only minutes later, she was sound asleep…


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

The next morning, Kate awoke in a rather happy mood. She sat up and threw the blankets off her, then shivered. When did it get so cold? Grabbing Sawyer's robe from his closet, she put it on and walked over to the window. Pulling the curtain aside, she saw only remnants of the snow from a few days earlier. There was a light flurrying, but it didn't look promising. She tied the robe and left the room, heading downstairs. As she got closer to the end of the staircase, she heard low music playing. She walked into the kitchen and there was Sawyer by the stove, almost wiggling to the music. She stood by the doorway, enjoying the view. Suddenly he jumped back letting out a small cry of pain.

"Goddamn!"

She went over as he was rubbing his stomach.

"A lesson in cooking: Never cook bacon without a shirt," she said, holding back a laugh.

"So, you finally decided to wake up."

"I did. But you should know," she gestured to the bacon. "I'm a vegetarian."

He threw the spatula down on the counter in frustration. "Thanks for the heads up."

"Anytime," she grinned.

"Guess I'd better take that _dog_ outta the oven then," he smirked.

"Uh-huh," she rolled her eyes.

"Poor thing. Probably burnt to a crisp," he went on.

"Sawyer, you don't even have a dog."

"Not anymore," he jokingly retorted.

She rolled her eyes. "It never ceases to amaze me how you can withstand such cold weather without a shirt," she said, changing the subject.

"It's a gift. What can I say?" he grinned.

She shook her head and went over to the fridge. She opened it and bent over looking for something to drink. Sawyer snuck behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer. She turned around in his arms, fighting the urge to smile.

"I'm still mad at you," she managed to get out.

"Liar."

She smiled, despite herself. "Let go of me."

"You know, now that you mention it," he held her tighter. "I _am_ cold. But now I'm holdin' you and I'm all warmed up."

"That makes one of us then," she lied.

"I can fix that," he said, leaning closer.

She almost let herself kiss him too. But instead, she put two fingers to his lips, pushing him backward and whispered, "I'd rather you didn't."

"Since when?"

"Since now."

"Why?"

"Because I might very well have to be leaving soon. No sense in getting attached to what I'll have to leave behind."

He let go of her. "I thought we went through this, Freckles."

"Not really. I didn't exactly get a say in it last night."

"I'm not lettin' you go, Kate."

She closed her eyes at the sound of her name on his lips. It always managed to send a wave of chills through her.

"It's not your choice, Sawyer. I can't stay here and get caught."

"You can't go out _there_ and get caught either!"

"I won't get caught out there! I'm a pro at running, remember?"

"That doesn't mean – "

He was interrupted by a knocking at the front door. Kate stiffened and they stared at each other, eyes wide.

"The attic," he said quietly. "The one place they always forget to look."

She stared at him in uncertainty.

"Go!"

That did it. She snapped out of her trance and quickly ran upstairs.

"Don't make no noise!" he called after her.

* * *

Kate ran as quickly as she could up to the attic. She had a little difficulty pulling the ladder from the ceiling. She took the stool from the bathroom and stood on it, now able to reach. She pulled it down and climbed, pulling the ladder closed behind her. She took a deep breath, trying to relax, but couldn't. Someone was at the door. It had to be the police, or possibly someone who recognized her, going to Sawyer for affirmation. She trusted he wouldn't say anything, but still had a horrible feeling inside her. She looked around but only saw grey. She felt around for the light switch and had to shield her eyes once it was on. Everything was covered in dust. Even the air in there felt musty. She looked around at everything. There were tons of boxes, old clothes, old toys, and a few odds and ends here and there. She found a large cupboard and saw it had a rusty lock on it. She touched it and it released, proving to be unlocked. She opened it, gasping at what was inside.

There was a line up of all different types of guns: Shotguns, pistols, BB-guns, Sig-9s, all kinds. They were in great condition and she saw various boxes below. _Ammo_, she thought to herself. She ran her fingers over each one, but stopped at one of the Sig-9s. Without thinking, she felt her hand gripping it, pulling it off it's hook…

* * *

Sawyer grabbed a shirt from the pantry. He was trying to stay calm, but it wasn't that easy. Whoever was at the door _had_ to be coming for Kate. And the thought made him feel queasy. All this time he kept saying he wouldn't let her go. The thought never occurred to him that she could be taken away from him. By the time he got to the door, his shirt was only halfway buttoned. His hands grew sweaty and his fingers kept slipping over the buttons. He finally gave up and tried to calm down. The knocking had suddenly gotten louder and persistent.

"Hold your horses! I'm comin'!"

He opened the door and standing on his stoop was a young woman in jeans, and a brown coat with a colorful striped scarf. Her hair was light and curly and flowed over her shoulders. Her green eyes stared at him with a mischievous twinkle.

"How long's it been, Sawyer?" she said with no accent, her mouth curving upward.

"Allison," he said, breathlessly.


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

"Allison?" she repeated. "When have I ever been _Allison_ to you?"

"What're you doin' here?"

"Came to use your bathroom," she said, sarcastically, pushing her way through him and into the house.

His eyes widened. _Unreal_, he thought to himself as he followed her in.

"You can't be here, Ally," he told her, sternly.

"Ah. There it is," she turned around smiling at the sound of her name.

"I'm serious! You gotta get outta here."

"Why? You don't want me here?"

"No!"

"Oh," she said, stunned. "Well, I'm afraid that's just not going to work out for me, Sawyer."

She looked around quietly, then wandered into the kitchen. Sighing, Sawyer followed her. She was kneeling on the counter and looking in the liquor cabinet. Her scarf and jacket were on the table revealing she only had a loose white tank top underneath.

"What the hell are ya doin'?" he said.

"I need a drink," she said, turning around with a vodka bottle in hand. "Did you think I forgot where you keep the alcohol?"

"No. I just – "

"If I remember right, it wasn't too long ago that _I _lived here with you," she said, grinning to herself.

He backed up toward the doorway a bit glancing out to make sure Kate wasn't standing on the stairs listening. He didn't need her to know that. He turned back to Allison, trying not to look conspicuous. After taking a drink of the vodka, she looked at him up and down.

"Haven't seen you look better, Sawyer. Been working out much?" she teased.

She sat on the counter, her legs hanging over the edge. Sawyer's mind was racing. She was beginning to scare him with how much she'd acted like Kate in the two minutes she'd been there. He couldn't let himself think that!

"No! You need to go. NOW!" he said, coming back to his senses.

"I can't," she said, taking a swig. "Got nowhere to go. Thus, I came here."

"That's your problem. Not mine."

She hopped off the counter and put her arms around him.

"Come on, Sawyer. I'll be on the streets. Don't make me go," she pouted.

He heard Kate's footsteps sounding the stairs. "No. Get out, right now," he said, panicking, trying to pull her arms off him.

She locked them around him tighter. "You and I both know that neither of us _really_ wants that, do we?"

"Ally!" he shouted.

Just then, Kate stepped into the kitchen. Allison and Sawyer both looked at her. She stared back, unsure of what to think.

"So _this_ is why you want me to leave, huh?" Allison said, letting go of Sawyer, putting her hands on her hips.

Sawyer sighed. "Kate, Ally. Ally, Kate."

Kate looked at him bewildered. WHY would he use her _real_ name?

"You look familiar," Allison said. "Have we met?"

Kate's eyes widened and she glanced at Sawyer. "No, we haven't."

"Oh," she shrugged. "Must've been someone else, I guess." They were all quiet.

"Sorry to be rude, but I have to get going," Kate said finally.

"What?" Sawyer and Allison said in unison.

"I was on my way out anyway," Kate explained, leaving the room.

"Kate, no!" Sawyer said, following her, leaving Ally alone in the kitchen.

"I have to," she turned around. "I already told you last night!"

"Listen to me," he said putting his hands on her shoulders. "I'm not lettin' you go."

After a pause, she asked quietly, "Why did you tell her my name? She already said I look familiar. What if she realizes who I am?"

"She won't. She's just a dumb broad!"

"Well I don't appreciate that very much," Allison suddenly appeared in the doorway with her vodka bottle. She looked at Kate. "A word of the wise on Sawyer: Get away while you can!"

Unable to resist, Kate replied, "I'm trying."

"God! You look SO familiar!" she giggled. "Where have I seen you before?"

Kate shrugged and Sawyer rubbed his head. Ally's eyes suddenly widened in realization.

"Sawyer, Sawyer, _Sawyer_!" she laughed coldly.

Kate cringed at the sound of his name in her voice. Ally went behind him and spoke over his shoulder and into his ear.

"I knew you were badass but aiding a fugitive? That's so different from your style!"

Kate's face heated and she glared at Sawyer.

"Ally – "

"Well I guess you two got busy on that island if you're _helping_ her now," she said, backing away from Sawyer.

"Ally, get the hell outta here, now."

"I thought you were gonna let me stay!"

"No! GET OUT!"

"Fine. But you know, if by some chance I happen to slip up and, I don't know, go to the police and say you're aiding a fugitive – "

"Let her stay," Kate said quickly.

"What!" Sawyer turned around bewildered.

"Smart girl. I'd listen to her if I were you," Ally grinned. "But you know, I think I will go. It'd be more fun to see you fall flat on your ass. Just like you did to me."

"You did that to yourself, sweetheart!" he told her.

Kate grew disgusted. Why did she get the feeling that this wasn't just one of the girls that Sawyer had used? It almost sounded like they…had a relationship. She forced the thought away and went back to listening to them argue.

"Oh don't you dare try that with me! You know what you did!"

"You did it to yourself!" he repeated.

"How could you say that? Do you even _know_ the pain I have suffered and the trouble I've gotten into for what you did?"

"Don't talk to me about pain and trouble!"

"Don't worry. I won't have to. Because the police will give you enough trouble for the rest of your life for helping _her_!" she said, pointing to Kate. "So you just wait until I go and tell them!"

Suddenly they heard a loud click. They turned and saw Kate holding a gun.

"You don't want to do that. Or you'll have consequences to pay," she said, keeping the gun perfectly aimed at Ally.

"Where'd you get that?" Sawyer asked.

"Attic," she said, tightening her grip.

"I told you not to go nosin' in there!"

"Like I'd let a thing like that stop me."

"Lower the gun. I swear I'm not going to do anything," Ally said.

"No. You won't. Because you're staying right here. Right, Sawyer?"

He stared at her in wonder.

"RIGHT, Sawyer?" she repeated.

"Yeah. Fine," he said, miserably.

"Good." She lowered the gun and handed it to him.

"Well wait. What about you?" he asked.

"What _about _me?"

"You stayin' or goin'?"

"It would be pointless for me to stay."

"Well if you're leaving, why can't _I_?" Ally asked.

"Because I need a head start before you go running to the police."

"I already said I _won't_," Ally replied, annoyed.

"Yeah. And how can I trust you?"

"Excuse me! I'm the one here who should be worried about trust! You're the damn criminal!" she said, putting her hands on her hips.

"All right. You two gonna shut up now?" Sawyer cut in.

They both looked at him, irritated.

"Neither of you are goin' anywhere. Ally, there's an extra room down the hall. It's yours. And there's a bathroom next to it so you're gettin' treated like damn royalty."

"Fine," she folded her arms, looking away.

"Freckles, you and I still ain't done talkin'."

"Actually, I _am_," she said, turning away.

He grabbed her arm, tightly. "_No_. You ain't."

She looked at him, unable to read his expression, and yet, still she knew what he meant. For a minute, they had a silent conversation between eyes. Then she glanced at Allison, and he knew.

"_Later_."

"Fine."


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26**

Later, after somehow managing to get through the rest of the day, Sawyer was in the bathroom getting ready for bed. Allison had wandered up the stairs looking for Sawyer. He was brushing his teeth when she sauntered into the bathroom. Her hair was pulled back into a messy bun and a few curly blonde wisps were coming undone. She was wearing one of his t-shirts – the same one Kate had on the first night she was here. He saw her and almost dropped his toothbrush. She really had to stop acting like Kate before he did something he'd regret later.

"That's _my_ shirt!"

"Yeah. So?" she said, propping herself up on the bathroom counter.

"Get out of it!"

"Ooh. You really want me to?" she teased.

He shook his head. "Forget it," he said, still annoyed.

"I was kidding!" she laughed.

"Whatever."

Hearing Allison's voice suddenly in the bathroom, Kate opened the bedroom door a crack, watching, listening.

"So, you just walking around in that towel around your waist or is there something actually under there?" she playfully inquired, poking at his abs.

"That's for me to know," he said.

"You forgot for _me_ to find out," she grinned, hopping off the counter.

"Maybe 'cause I don't want you to."

"Well what if I do?" she said, getting closer.

"Don't you dare."

"Why not?" she said, starting to tug at the front of the towel.

He grabbed her arm. "I'll kick you out."

"I'll go to the police," she tugged with her free hand.

He grabbed her other arm. "No you won't."

"I will," she said, leaning more into him.

"You won't," he said, pulling her closer.

"Oh I will," she said in a low voice, grinning.

"You won't," he leaned closer.

Angrily, Kate slammed the door closed. They both looked over at it, and Sawyer released Ally.

"Uh-oh. Somebody's angry," she said, still looking at the door.

"Yeah. Wonder why."

She looked back at him. "I won't," she said, simply, tugging the towel free from his waist. She smirked as it dropped to the floor, and went to the door. "Goodnight, Sawyer."

Scrambling to get his towel back on, he said dully, and extremely annoyed, "Yeah, night."

He wrapped the towel around his waist and tied it. When he was finished in the bathroom, he went into his room. Kate was lying on the far side of the bed with her back to him. After trading the towel for boxers, he sighed and lied down next to her.

"You mad?" he asked.

She didn't answer.

"Don't pretend to be asleep. You know you ain't."

Still nothing.

"Hey. She came onto _me_!"

"You didn't put up much of a fight!" she argued, turning around finally.

He grinned. "I knew you weren't asleep."

She glared and turned her back to him again.

"Guess there is a jealous little gal in there after all!"

"I'm not jealous. I'm just…" she sighed.

"Jealous. Just admit it, Freckles. You're jealous!"

"Jealous of her? Please."

"Yeah, I think you are!"

"I'm not."

"You're a horrible liar, Freckles," he said, settling into bed.

"Who is she, Sawyer?" she suddenly asked.

"No one. Just a girl," he said, closing his eyes.

"I find that hard to believe when you made no effort to push her away." When he didn't say anything, she asked again, "_Who_ is she?"

"She's no one! Just an ex-girlfriend."

"But she's not one of _them_. Is she?"

"What makes you think that?" he turned on his side, his eyes open now, looking at her.

She looked at him for a moment, then looked down, and turned on her side, closing her eyes.

"Oh. That's how it is. I finally say somethin', and you ain't gonna answer _me_ now?"

"I have nothing left to say to you."

"Yeah? How 'bout that whole scene today 'bout you leavin'? Why don't we talk about that?"

"I'm tired. Can't we talk about it tomorrow?"

"No. You been puttin' it off and puttin' it off. I wanna know what exactly is goin' through that head of yours."

She turned facing him again, leaning on her arm, her hand laced in her hair.

"Look. I get it. You don't want me to leave. You don't want to be alone. Well now you have Allison and now I'm leaving."

"Whoa whoa whoa. Who said it was 'cause I don't wanna be alone? I been alone all my life. Why the hell would it bother me now?"

"I don't know," she said, trying to end the conversation. She turned her back to him again and sighed.

"It ain't that I don't wanna be alone." He paused, waiting for her to say something, but she remained quiet. After another minute, he said, finally, "I don't wanna lose you."

She looked at the floor, eyes focused on one spot. She wouldn't let herself cry. She couldn't.

"You're _it_ for me, Freckles. The one. Whatever you wanna call it."

She closed her eyes, forcing the tears back. "I wish I could say the same," she said softly.

He stared at her back, feeling as if she had just shot him in the chest and missed. And all he could do was take the pain and suffer until it ended. He loved her and she didn't love him back. But why did she lead him to think she did? He sat up in bed, looking around hopelessly. Finally, he got up and headed downstairs. Kate turned her face into the pillow and started to cry.

After a few minutes, she came to her senses and forced herself to stop. When she did, she went downstairs to find him. Instead, she saw Allison on the couch, watching TV in the same shirt of Sawyer's that _she'd_ worn. She had her own pajamas now, consisting of grey flannel pants and a colorfully striped long-sleeved shirt.

"He's outside," she told Kate, flipping through TV channels.

"Thanks," Kate replied, after a long pause.

She went outside and he was there, sitting on the porch swing with a bottle in his hand. She sighed, and hoped he wasn't drunk just yet. She slid the door open, and he of course turned to look. He immediately looked away after seeing it was her. She folded her arms shivering. For a few minutes, they were quiet. The only sound heard was the sloshing of the drink Sawyer had every time he took a sip.

"Sawyer, I'm sorry," she said, cautiously sitting next to him on the swing.

"Don't be."

"No. I didn't get to say what I meant."

"What do you mean what you _meant_? Was loud and clear to me."

"No. You don't understand. It's not about you. It's not that I _don't _love you. It's just…I'm a fugitive. I can't be _it_ for you. I can't be _the one_. Because I can't stay like this forever. I can't live a normal life. Here. With you. As much as I want to. I can't. I can't be who you want me to be."

He looked at her, unable to think of what to say. Now that he was looking at her, he saw the tear stains on her cheeks, and the redness of her eyes.

"I don't want to leave," she said softly. "But I can't just let them come and get me."

"I just wish you didn't have to leave already. Still seems like you just got here to me."

"I know," she sighed. "And yet, so much has already happened."

"Think things would be different if you hadn't lost the baby?"

She closed her eyes, forcing back sudden tears. "I don't know."

"Think we ever woulda fought? Or you run away?"

She shrugged, wiping the tears before they fell. She took a deep breath and looked down. Sawyer looked at her, and saw tears still falling. He turned her head toward him and wiped them away.

"Anyone ever tell you you're beautiful when you're cryin'?" he said.

She laughed. "Shut up."

"I'm serious!"

"You stole that from the movie I was watching the other day," she said, smiling.

He stared, speechless. "And here I thought you weren't really watchin'…"

"I'm surprised you _were!_" she laughed.

"Well…that's beside the point," he said, stammering.

She laughed again. "Don't worry, Sawyer. Just because you watched one romance film doesn't mean you lose your masculinity."

"Yeah…well…"

Allison watched them both out of the window in the kitchen. She despised their relationship. And yet, strangely enough, she was drawn to their flirting, and bickering and banter. It was bizarre that the more she watched them, the more she thought of her own relationship with him. Then she began to wonder…Had he told her about their relationship yet…?


	27. Chapter 27 Part I

Quickie:  
Heads up. This is a 2-part chapter. Just so we all know. :)

**Chapter 27 - Part I**

He saw her the minute he stepped into the bar. She was it. She was the one. From the very minute he saw her golden curls twirling around her finger, he knew. He made his way slowly to the bar, glancing her way every few minutes. He'd have to get her away from her friends. But that'd be easy enough.

He sat on one of the stools at the bar, right near her table. He ordered a drink and drank it one swallow. Now it was time to get down to business. He turned himself sideways, making a point of being obvious. He kept watching her, until she noticed. She leaned over the table and said something to one of her friends, then he watched her get up and stand right next to him at the bar. She leaned over the counter asking for a drink then turned to her side, looking over his shoulder at her friends.

"You got a name, sweetheart?" he asked, grinning.

"Excuse me?" she said in disbelief.

"A _name._ You got one?"

"Yeah," she said, looking around distractedly.

"Any chance of me gettin' it?"

"Now why would I give you the privilege of knowing that?" she said, leaning her back on the counter, growing annoyed.

"'Cause I'm a nice guy," he grinned.

She looked at him now, with a tiny smile. "If you were a nice guy, you wouldn't be here."

"Then I s'pose you ain't a nice girl?"

"Well said," she smiled. She held out her hand and said, "I'm Allison."

"Sawyer," he said, shaking it.

"So Mr. Sawyer, what brings you around New York?"

"Meeting up with an old friend. We got some business together."

"Business, huh?" she said, reaching behind her for her drink.

"Yeah," he said, nodding to the bartender for another drink. "What about you? You live around here?"

"I do. Wasn't born and raised here or anything, but I've lived here since I was twelve." She paused taking a sip of her drink. "So you clearly aren't from here."

"Nope."

"Lemme guess. Alabama?"

"Tennessee."

"Ah. _Tennessee_. I was gonna say that next."

"Right," he said sarcastically.

She laughed. "Can I make a suggestion?"

"Hmm?"

"If you're trying to get a one night stand, don't be so obvious about it." She took her drink and turned to him. "Nice talking to you, Tennessee."

He watched her walk back to her friends and sit down at their table. He smiled to himself and finished off his drink. If she thought she was going to get away that easy, she was wrong. He laid money down for the two drinks he'd gotten, and saw that she had left her bag on the counter. He chuckled and picked it up. She knew _exactly_ how to play her game. He went over to her table and she looked up at him, confused.

"Hey. Tennessee. Back so soon?"

"I think you left somethin'," he said, holding her bag out to her.

She stood up and took it from him. "Thank you."

He stood watching her, admiring her beauty. But wait. Why was he focusing on that instead of his job?

"Is there something else I can help you with, Tennessee?" she said, ignoring the giggles of her friends.

"Nope," he dimpled. "Just returning the bag."

"Well okay then."

Later on, Allison was leaving her friends and heading to the door of the bar. She took one more look around for Sawyer, but he wasn't there. Deciding to forget it, she headed outside, reaching into her bag for a cigarette. She was two blocks away when someone started walking beside her.

"Are you stalking me now, Tennessee?"

"Maybe. Would you care if I was?"

"No."

"Then I'm not."

She laughed quietly. "You're somethin', you know that?" she said, taking a drag of the cigarette. "What do you want from me?"

"Why would you think I want somethin'?"

"Well let's look at the facts, shall we? Inside the bar you kept looking at me, and even tried to hit on me when I went to get a drink. You came over to my table – "

"To bring back your bag," he pointed out.

"Okay. And now you're out here stalking me."

"I'm _not_ stalkin' you!"

"Then tell me, Tennessee. What is it you want from me?"

"I want _you,_ Ally."

"Don't call me Ally."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't like it."

"All the more reason," he smirked.

"You're not gonna give up, are you?" she said, taking another drag.

"Not plannin' on it."

She held her pack of cigarettes out to him.

"No," he shook his head.

"No, huh?" she said, exhaling smoke. "Well then you'd better stop right here. If you don't smoke, you're out of my league."

He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his own pack of cigarettes, which was a different brand from hers.

"Marlboro man," he said taking one out of the pack. "So where do you live?"

"A few blocks from here. Where you staying?"

"A few blocks from here," he grinned.

"Clever. But I'm not looking for a one night stand."

"Who said anything about a one night stand?"

"You didn't have to say anything," she said, flicking her cigarette into the street. "It's your behavior. Don't fool yourself into thinking that no one's tried to get me into bed for a night."

"You play pool?" he said suddenly.

"Yeah, I play pool. Why?"

"I got a pool table in my apartment if you wanna play."

She laughed. "You really are trying, aren't you?"

"No. I got a couple of buddies comin' in a few to play anyway. Figured if you wanted to come join the festivities…"

She smiled to herself. Then after a quick moment of contemplation, said, "All right."

"Good."

Things were going his way, after all. But she was a sassy one, he reminded himself. And he knew she was one of those difficult girls that would take some warming up to before getting into bed. On the contrary, he was kind of looking forward to it. She was different from all the other girls he'd conned. She had this attitude about her and the more he was with her, the more he could tell she was like _him_. And THAT was what made her different. That was what drew him to her.


	28. Chapter 27 Part II

**Chapter 27: PART II**

When they got to his apartment, none of his friends were there. Allison looked around the place while he fixed some drinks.

"It ain't much," he called from the kitchen.

"I like it," she commented. "Most guys' apartments are always so crammed with all their high-tech toys. Only thing you've got is a big 32 inch TV."

"Yeah. And what does that tell ya about me?" he said, walking into the living room again.

She was sitting on the couch already when he came in with the drinks.

"Either that you're conservative or flat out broke," she said, taking her drink from him.

He sat next to her. "Well I ain't conservative, I'll tell ya that much."

"Aw. You're broke. And that makes you even more appealing," she teased.

"Yeah. Right."

"That the pool table?" she pointed with her cup to a table full of papers.

"Oh." He got up and hurried to it, collecting all the papers. "Yeah. I was just doin' some stuff last night."

"Oh."

"I'm lookin' into buyin' a house," he lied, putting the papers away in a locked drawer.

"Oh. But I thought you were broke," she said, playfully.

He laughed and sat next to her again. "Well I got some money saved up in the bank."

"And how will you furnish it? And what about the bills?"

"When did we start playin' 20 questions?"

She smiled. "I know I'm nosy."

"Why don't you stay awhile?" he said, gesturing to her coat.

She laughed. "I'm good."

"So Ally…"

"I told you not to call me that."

"I know."

"So don't."

"Why? What's so bad about it?"

"I just don't like it."

"Fine. _Allison_, then."

"Okay," she said, taking a sip of her drink.

"You wanna play a game?"

"What?" she said, almost choking on the sip she'd just taken.

"A game. I'll say somethin', and then you say the first thing that comes to mind."

"Are you serious?"

"Call it a way to pass the time."

She looked at him, trying to figure what he was trying to do. He looked innocent enough, not to mention damn sexy. But she had to remember, this was probably _all_ a game to him.

"All right," she agreed.

"Okay. Um…football."

"Ew."

He laughed. "All right. Animals."

"Make good food," she said, simply.

He laughed again. "Never got _that_ before."

"Yeah, well, I feel bad for them. But I won't deny that I'm a carnivorous little bitch."

He sniggered. "Okay. Let's see…Jeans?"

"Are awesome," she said, as if it was the plainest thing in the world.

"Seasons."

"Fall."

"Planet," he shrugged.

"Uranus," she glanced at him sideways.

He chuckled. "Flowers."

"Chocolates," she said, tipping her cup toward him.

"Love."

"Overrated."

"Me."

"Sexy," she blurted out. "I mean – "

He laughed. "_Really?_"

She shook her head, blushing. "You tricked me."

"Yeah."

She rolled her eyes. "Next."

"All right…Truck."

"_Back_ of the truck."

He raised his eyebrows and said, experimentally, "Body."

"Two are better than one," she said, cleverly.

He grinned and whispered, "Lips."

She stared at him for a minute, then said slowly, "Inviting…"

He leaned in and kissed her tenderly, and she kissed back. Only minutes later, they had made their way to Sawyer's bed.

"Ice cream," he said.

"Ooh. Vanilla chocolate swirl."

"Toppings on it?"

"Hot fudge," she said, flirtatiously. "And…whipped cream…cherries…"

His eyes widened as he watched her say each topping slowly. He felt more and more want for her. She leaned over his shoulder and whispered in his ear,

"And nuts…"

"Hell of a sundae…"

"Mmm. You're making me hungry now. Stop with the foods!"

"All right. All right." The game had continued, even after they made love. It had become more amusing though. Until Sawyer decided to start with foods.

"Fingers," he said randomly.

"Five," she said cheerfully, waggling them in the air.

She led two of them up his bare chest and around his neck. He grabbed them and kissed them both. She smiled.

"Ally," he said breathlessly, grinning.

She smiled. "I thought I told you not to call me that."

"I thought you said it was all right," he tried.

"I said no such thing."

"Ally," he teased.

"Stop!" she whined, still smiling.

"What're you gonna do about it?"

She turned her body over him and looked down at him. "You really wanna know?"

She was beautiful. Too beautiful. His eyes traveled up and down her upper body. Her golden locks flowed over her chest. He pushed the strands of hair hanging in her face behind her ears.

"You're beautiful."

"_You're _trying to sidetrack me."

"I am not," he said, even though he was grinning.

She sighed and rolled back on her side again, still in Sawyer's arms. "What time is it?"

He turned and looked at his clock. "2:30."

"What?" she sat up immediately. Then she started to laugh hysterically. "Oh my god."

"What's the problem?" he said, leaning on his arm.

"Nothing. It's just…I told my friends I was going home when I left. They were probably shocked when I wasn't there."

"Well at least you're safe," he smirked.

"I'm not so sure," she said, smiling slyly. She lied down on her side, her head on her hand. "After all, I just screwed a complete stranger. How do I know you're not going to kill me now?"

He lied back and stretched. "Cause if I was, I woulda done it already. And I wouldn't have wasted my time playin' that game."

"So what happened to your friends?" she asked.

"Guess they decided not to come. Can't say it was a bad choice…"

"There never were any friends, were there?"

"Yeah there were."

"Liar," she said, and kissed him.

"Now how can I argue with that," he said, breaking away.

"You can't," she said, kissing him again…


	29. Chapter 28

Quickie:  
Tum de dum... looks away innocently

**Chapter 28**

The next day, Sawyer left Kate and Allison by themselves when he went to run some errands that afternoon. Mostly, they'd avoided each other. But as fate would have it, Allison strolled into the kitchen when Kate was making herself something to drink. She couldn't resist the chance to mess up things for Sawyer. And as luck would have it, Kate seemed to be just gullible enough.

"So I guess he hasn't told you much about me, has he?"

"Sorry?" Kate said, without looking up.

"Oh. I was just saying that I guess Sawyer hasn't really told you anything about me. Has he?"

"Not really."

"Or that we were in a relationship…?"

"No," Kate said, finally looking up at her.

"How about that I used to live here with him?" she went on, encouraged.

Kate grew quiet. "No…"

"Oh." She paused, taking a drag on her cigarette. She leaned back against the counter. "So has he gotten you knocked up yet?" she asked.

Kate looked at her, wide-eyed. She was confused, but at the same time, she knew exactly what Allison meant and the thought made her nauseous. Allison slowly exhaled smoke.

"Oh. Then I guess he didn't tell you _that_ either…"

* * *

Sawyer got home around six to a strangely quiet house. He noticed Allison outside on the swing, drinking – as usual. He went to the window and said,

"You're gonna drink my whole supply!"

"Your girlfriend's looking for you," she replied, with just a bit too wide a smile.

"Where is she?"

She shrugged, taking a drink. He shook his head and went to find Kate. But he _couldn't_ find her. She was nowhere in the house. He went back to the kitchen to ask Allison when Kate came out of the pantry – one place he had neglected to look.

"What're you doin' in there?"

"Folding laundry," she said, walking by him.

"Heard you were lookin' for me?"

She shook her head, going into the living room. "No."

He followed her, then stopped. "No?" he said, looking at Allison through the sliding door.

"No," she repeated.

"Why'd Ally say you were then?"

"I don't know. Ask her, not me," she said, starting up the stairs.

"Hey!" he called after her.

She stopped at the top and looked down at him. He started to walk up slowly.

"You mad at me?"

"No. Why would I be?"

"I don't know. Just seem a little ticked off," he said, meeting at the top of the staircase with her.

She paused, looked down, then looked back up at him.

"_Who _is she?"

He exhaled. "I already told you, she's – "

"An old girlfriend," she finished. "Yeah. But that doesn't really help me."

"What – "

"What about the fact that she once lived here with you?"

"I – "

"Or that you actually _had _a relationship with her?"

"Kate – "

"And WHAT about the fact that you got her pregnant!" she said, incredulously. "Were you ever going to tell me about her?"

"She said I got her pregnant?"

"Yes!"

"I didn't! I never did!"

"Because I never told you," Allison suddenly appeared halfway up the stairs.

"That's bullshit."

"Oh is it? You dropped me flat after a year. Never answered my calls. I even _wrote_ you! But you _never_ answered!"

"It was over, Ally! Why would I wanna answer you?"

"Because if you answered you would've known!"

"Yeah? Well where is it now?"

"It's gone. I wasn't going to raise it myself, let alone fatherless!"

"That's bullshit! You're lyin'!"

"_I'm_ lying? You're the liar, Sawyer! YOU'RE the con-artist!"

Kate looked at him, listening for his response. But he said nothing. She shook her head and went into his room, closing and locking the door. He looked at Allison in disbelief.

"I NEVER got you pregnant!" he said, hoarsely.

She smiled maliciously. "No. But it sure was fun convincing her of it."

"You son of a bitch…Why the _hell_ would you do that?"

"Why should you be happy after everything you've done? Why should you get a second chance instead of me?" she said with tears in her eyes.

With that, she went back downstairs locking herself in her own room. Sawyer stood helpless. In the course of just three minutes he had just been deserted and door slammed by TWO women. What the hell had he grown to be?

His thoughts were interrupted by an opening door. He looked down first, expecting Allison to come back out with another sassy remark. Instead, Kate came out behind him, dressed – no longer in pajamas – shoes on, backpack over her shoulder. Before he could say anything, she was already pushing her way around him and heading down the stairs. He raced after her as she neared the front door. He grabbed her arm just as she started to walk out.

"Let go of – "

"What the hell are you doin'?"

She pulled out of his grasp. "This was a mistake. I never should've come here," she said, walking away.

"Kate!" he called after her. But she had already disappeared into the dark. "Damnit!"

He ran back upstairs to put on his shoes. He was just getting his keys when the phone rang. He let it ring three times before sighing and answering it.

"Hello?" he said gruffly.

"I'm looking for Kate Austen," a voice said. "I understand she's been staying with you, Mr. Sawyer."


	30. Chapter 29

Quickie:  
Hey all. Sorry this has taken forever. I lost track of updating with this. But rest assured! I'm back on track now! I hope no one has disappeared!

**Chapter 29**

"Who the hell is this?" he demanded.

"I'm her lawyer," the voice said. "Johanna Evans."

"This some kind of joke?"

"Look. If you don't let me talk to her, she's going to wind up in jail. Or _worse._"

Sawyer's stomach tied in knots. "Well," he started quietly. "She ain't here."

"I have reason to believe she _is_."

"Yeah? Says who?"

"Dr. Jack Sheppard."

He cringed at the name. "How would he – "

"He's a witness for part of her case," she told him. "Now, can I please speak to her?"

"She ain't here."

"All right. You know what – "

"I mean she _was_. But…she left."

"She left. When?"

"Five minutes ago."

"To where?"

"How the hell should I know! I was 'bout to go after her till you called!"

"Okay. Take down this number and have her call me when you find her."

"Fine."

"481 - "

"Yeah…"

"516-2342."

"Fine."

"Thank you," she hung up.

Instead of grabbing his keys this time, he went up to the attic and grabbed one of the pistols. _Just in case_. He went back down to the kitchen and got a flashlight out of one of the drawers. Allison opened her door to see what all the sounds were. Sawyer instantly heard the door and turned around with the gun aimed. Her eyes widened and she backed into her closed door.

"It's just _me_!" she said.

He lowered and saw her face was red and tear stained. He felt bad for a minute, but shook it off. He had to go find Kate. He turned back to finding the flashlight. When he did, he switched it on and off a few times, and slammed the drawer closed.

"Where are you going?"

He just kept walking to the front door.

"What are you doing?"

He opened it and started to walk out.

"Sawyer! Talk to me, damnit!"

"Why the hell should I?" he said, angrily. "You don't even deserve to be stayin' here anymore! You wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for _her_!"

She looked at him, stung by his words. She watched at the door as he walked into the darkness, eventually disappearing. He was right. She wouldn't even be staying there if it wasn't for Kate. And here she was making the girl devastated all for revenge. It was the most horrible feeling in the world. Maybe she should leave. Maybe everyone would be better off without her. Sawyer sure seemed to be… She closed the door and went back inside.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"KATE!"

It was about the twentieth time that he had shouted her name into the darkness. He was walking along a dirt road looking for her, but it seemed hopeless. She was either caught, or worse. And it was too dark to really tell which.

"KATE!" he shouted again, desperately.

Everything was just going so wrong for them now. Ever since the miscarriage, everything seemed to be going further and further downhill. He couldn't even remember the last time they had sex!

"KATE!" he yelled again.

He waved the flashlight all around looking for any sign of her. All he was met with was trees, small whirls of dust, and occasionally, a nocturnal animal. He had made the mistake of forgetting his jacket, and it was bitterly cold out. He shivered, and waved the flashlight some more. There still wasn't any sign of her…

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

_Sawyer stormed into his house, flustered and angry. Allison was on the couch in one of his shirts, watching TV. She noticed something was wrong when he came in and immediately got up following him into the kitchen. _

"_What's wrong?" _

"_Nothin'," he said, getting a bottle of whiskey from his cabinet._

"_Are you sure?" _

"_I'm fine."_

"_Well, you just came in and – "_

"_I'm FINE," he repeated._

"_Okay," she said quietly. _

_She went back into the living room and looked through the mail he brought in and put on the mantle. He came in and stopped her. _

"_What're you doin'?" _

"_Looking through the mail…"_

"_Who said you can go through my mail?" he said sharply, snatching the letters from her hands. _

"_What is _with_ you?"_

"_Nothin'!" _

"_Look. You're in a bad mood. Fine. But don't take it out on me!"_

"_Yeah, whatever."_

_He left her in the living room and went back into the kitchen. She heard him sit down at the table. She sighed and went back to the couch. Not five minutes later, there was a knocking at the door. She remained in her place, for Sawyer always jumped to answer it. But when he didn't, she called to him, _

"_You gonna get that, or what?" _

_He didn't answer, but she knew he heard her._

"_Sure! Don't worry! I'd_ love_ to get it!" she said, sarcastically. _

_She went to the door and opened it, standing face to face with a police officer. Her eyes widened. _

"_Allison Brennan?"_

"_Uh…y-yes?" she stuttered. _

"_You're under arrest."_

"_What?" she stopped and turned around and saw Sawyer. "Sawyer!" _

_He stood by the doorway of the kitchen. "SAWYER!"_

"_You have the right to remain silent," the officer continued, struggling to put the handcuffs on Allison. _

"_HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME? SAWYER!"_

"_Anything you do or say can and will be used against you in a court of law."_

"_YOU BASTARD! YOU…YOU…" she broke off crying, and screaming. _

"_You have the right to a lawyer. If you cannot afford one then you will be given one free of charge," the officer said, pulling her out the door. _

"_Saw...yer…" she choked out, between sobs. _

_The officer closed the door behind him, nodding toward Sawyer, as to thank for the tip. Sawyer leaned back against the counter, taking a drink of his whiskey without a single feeling of remorse. _

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"KATE!" he called one more time.

He was freezing, annoyed, _worried_, and ready to give up. His flashlight was starting to dim, and snow had started to fall.

"Kate…" he whispered, desperately. He sighed, and let his shoulders slump. It was no use. She was gone. He probably could have stopped her, but she was gone. It was his fault. He should've told her about Allison from the start. He should've never let Allison in! He should've listened to her when she said Allison might recognize her. He should've supported her decision to leave and gone with her…

He was about to turn back when he spotted something bright lying on the snow. He walked toward it faster and soon noticed it was one of her shirts – the orange one she had worn many times on the island. Apparently she still kept it. He looked down at it for a minute, then when he shone the light further, he saw a bottle of water with an "Oceanic" label on it. He followed the trail of a few of her belongings until he saw the snow beneath his feet was turning crimson. At first it was only a few spots here and there, then it turned into larger masses.

Hesitantly, he followed it to a truck that had crashed into a tree with its headlights still brightly shining. He looked around and spotted an overweight man lying on the ground in a bloody, snowy outline. He shone the light on him. Dead. There were three holes in his chest, and several scrapes, probably from the crash. Someone shot him to death. _Since the crash wasn't enough_, he guessed. But the real question was _who_? He exhaled, and saw his own breath - as if that wasn't sign enough that he was freezing. He looked around with the flashlight, ignoring his chattering teeth. Then he saw it. Trees rustled and he saw someone breathing unsteadily. He slowly moved the flashlight that way but never saw who it was. Two bullets headed his way and hit him in both the leg and side. He was too weak with cold that he couldn't stay afoot and he found himself flying backward. That was the last thing he could remember before his head hit a rock on the ground.


	31. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30**

When Sawyer finally regained consciousness, it was dark and he was covered in a little more than an inch of snow. He got up and started to dust it off of him but winced in pain as he ran over his leg. He looked and saw blood stained in his jeans. He touched it and pain filled his whole leg. He stumbled and fell back again. He sat up and tried to remember what had happened. He didn't notice the bullet in his side until he felt the warm blood dripping down his side. He lifted his shirt and saw it and the pain finally hit him. He clenched his teeth trying to hold back from screaming.

He ran a hand through his hair, still unsure of what was going on. He lowered his hand to his lap and looked at it. It was covered in blood too. He felt around his head again and found the gash in his head it had come from. Now he remembered what happened. He saw the truck crashed into the tree. Its headlights were still shining in his eyes. But the overweight corpse was missing now. He looked around for his flashlight and saw it feet from the truck. He tried to get up but the pain was unbearable now. He shifted onto his other side and pulled himself along to his flashlight. He picked it up only to find it wouldn't go on.

"DAMNIT!" he shouted, and it echoed back to him.

He sat helpless in the snow, still freezing. Who the hell was in the trees? Whoever it was had killed that truck driver. And had attempted to kill him. They must've run off in fright before finishing the deed, because he was still alive and breathing. He sat in the snow for a while, shivering, unsure of what to do. He could _try_ to walk back in the snow, but it would be painful. And the bullets were still in there. And he still hadn't found Kate…

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"_Why'd you do it?" _

_After Allison was taken away, Sawyer sat on his couch getting rip roaring drunk. He passed out after an hour. It was dark when he was jolted awake by the ringing phone. His head feeling like it had been pounded on with a hammer over and over, he got up and answered it. Her voice was the first thing he heard. _

"'_Scuse me?" _

"_Why'd you turn me in, Sawyer?" Allison said, sternly, yet quietly. _

"_I have my reasons." _

"_WHY'D YOU DO IT?" _

"_You wouldn't understand!" _

"_Oh try me!" she said, bitterly. _

"_No way in hell I'm doin' that." _

"_I'm not hanging up until you tell me!"_

"_Ain't this supposed to be your ONE call? And you're wastin' it on _me_?" _

"_Not a waste if you'd tell me why you did it." _

"'_Cause I had to." _

"_Why? What was in it for you?" _

"_None of your business."_

"_You have me put away for quite possibly the REST OF MY LIFE! I think I have the goddamn right to know _WHY!"

"_You know why! You know what you done!" _

"_If that's why I'm locked up, then you should be too! How the hell do you think I learned it all?" _

"_Well I guess I'm just lucky, ain't I?" _

"_Go to hell!" she hung up the phone. _

_He hung up the phone, grabbed another bottle of liquor and returned to his couch. Minutes later, he'd passed out again. _

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Sawyer finally found strength to get up. The bullet in his leg was on the side of his shin. He was able to walk only if he limped, putting as little pressure on his leg as he could. He took one step and shouted out in pain. The pain in his side was piercing through him. He would have to dig out the bullet himself. The hospital was too far out of the way. He breathed heavily, trying to think of what to do. But the pain was too overwhelming. He couldn't think.

Finally he sat down on the ground again, and took a deep breath. Raising his arm, he looked at his side. Blood continually poured and he could barely see the bullet. He took some snow and rubbed in on his side, hoping to numb it. Instead, he only felt more pain. He inhaled deeply and stuck two fingers into his side feeling around for the bullet. All the time, he was letting out shouts of pain. He finally pulled it out and sat gasping for air. He was still clenching his teeth, trying to bear the pain. He looked at the bloody bullet in his fingers.

"Sig 9," he breathed. "Son of a bitch…"

He got up, still in pain, and started limping toward home. It took him an hour longer than it took to walk all the way out there, but he finally made it home. He walked in and sat on the couch. Allison, hearing all the sudden commotion, came out from the kitchen. Her eyes widened.

"Sawyer! What….How?"

"Go away."

"You're…alive!"

He looked at her like she was crazy. "What the hell are you talkin' about?"

"I…never mind. Here, let me get you some towels."

"Fine. You seen Kate yet?"

He guessed she hadn't heard him because she didn't answer. Soon, she was back with a handful of towels. She sat on the arm of the couch and handed them to him.

"What happened to you?"

"I got shot!"

"Well yeah. I figured as much. There's still a bullet sticking in your leg."

He sat forward and looked. "Damn…You might wanna look away."

"Why?"

"'Cause this little sucker's gotta get outta my leg."

"You're not gonna – "

"You rather do it?"

She looked away. The bullet was sticking out so all he had to do was grab an pull. But even so, he still yelled in pain. Allison almost fell off the arm of the couch, startled.

"Are you all right?"

"Fine," he said, hoarsely. "You seen Kate yet?"

She opened her mouth slowly to say something, but just sat, wordless.

"Is that a no?"

She closed her mouth, and looked at him sadly. "You should go upstairs," she said, putting a hand on his arm. "Clean yourself up." As an afterthought, she added, "You're freezing."

"Yeah, well, can't say my efforts were heroic," he said, getting up slowly and limping to the stairs.

"I wouldn't say that so soon," she said, disappearing into the kitchen.

Despite his curiosity, he slowly walked upstairs. When he got to the top, he saw light coming from the bathroom. That was strange. He never left lights on in his house. Unless Allison had been up there for some reason.

When he got to the doorway, he leaned against it, closing his eyes and panting. Just getting up the stairs had taken it all out of him. And the pain was throbbing. He took a deep breath then paused. There was breathing other than his own. He opened his eyes immediately and saw Kate sitting on top of the toilet seat, crying in her hands. He took a stumbling step toward her. She looked up and her teary eyes widened.

"Kate!" he said breathlessly, staring in disbelief.

She got up slowly and stared back at him, tears silently falling. She suddenly started to laugh and more tears poured. She ran into his arms and hugged him tightly. Biting back the pain, he moved her arm higher away from his wound and hugged her back.

"I thought you were…" she sobbed. "I didn't want to leave you there, but I – "

"Shh," he said, putting a finger to her lips.

"I'm so sorry," she said, lowering her head.

He lifted it and put his hands on either side of her face. "For what?" he asked, confused.

She ran her fingers gently over the wound on his side. "For this…" Her fingers traveled up to his chest, over his rapidly beating heart. "And this…"

She started to draw her hand away but he grabbed it back and held it. His eyebrows furrowed.

"What do you mean _for this_?" he said, gesturing to his side.

She pulled away and turned her back to him. "I didn't mean to…" she said, wiping her tears. She turned back to him. "I didn't know it was _you_."

He was quiet for a moment, and then, "Where's the truck driver?"

She looked at him, feeling caught. Ignoring her tears, she swallowed hard. "I buried him."

"Where?"

"In the woods…Far into the back."

"You left the truck…"

"I was gonna go back – "

"NO. I'll go back."

"But you're hurt. And your leg – " she said, seeing it for the first time.

"I'LL go back."

"Sawyer – "

"Good chance someone could come across the truck. Don't need you gettin' caught." He paused. "I'll do it."

"But you're – "

"Kate!" he said, sternly.

She quieted and looked down. She looked back at him and said firmly, "I'm going with you."

"No. It's too – "

"I'm coming."

He sighed. "Fine."


	32. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31**

"So how're we doing this?" she said, tying her hair back while he washed his wounds.

"I don't know."

"You can't walk all that way again."

"I know. Thinkin' bout takin' my truck."

"How's that gonna work?" she asked, sitting on the edge of the bathtub.

"I can hook the other truck up to mine."

"And bring it where?"

"In those woods…There's a cliff real far in. Some water below it. If we can get it in there, we can drive it off the cliff."

"That's a tight squeeze. Too many trees."

"_Old _trees."

"What're you gonna take your axe and miraculously become Daniel Boone?"

"Thought George Washington chopped trees?" he scrunched his eyebrows.

"_Cherry_ trees," she smiled. "There aren't any Cherry Trees in those woods."

"Oh."

She watched him cleaning the constantly pouring blood from his side. She grimaced and looked away.

"You don't have any bandages or anything?"

"Haven't gotten around to it yet."

"You haven't gotten around to much lately."

"'Cause I'm always runnin' around after you," he said, playfully.

"Well no one asked you to do that," she retorted.

"You rather I didn't go after you, then?"

She paused and took a moment, looking him in the eye. "No," she said finally. "I'm glad you did."

He went and sat next to her on the edge of the tub, facing the opposite way. He rolled up his jeans up to his knee and started the water running. She saw the injury on his leg and looked away, disgusted. He saw her face and looked at her funnily.

"Grossin' you out?"

"Just a little."

"Oh yeah?" he said, trying to lean his leg toward her.

"Oh no you don't!" she said, getting up and backing away.

"Run, run, as fast as you can," he said bitterly but joking, turning back.

"You can't catch me," she continued the line.

He waited, then turned around looking at her. "Don't think I'm gonna finish that up for ya."

She laughed. "And here I was hoping to hear you call yourself the Gingerbread Man."

"Yeah right. And you'd have never let me live it down."

"Exactly." She sat back next to him, watching the water run over his leg. "You _are_ planning to go to a doctor tomorrow?"

"Why would I do _that_?"

"I was just assuming you didn't want it to get infected."

"Please," he said, rubbing some soap into the wound. "I been shot before. Ain't never gotten an infection."

"Maybe this time will be the first time you _do_ get one."

"What makes this time different from any other?"

"Because this time, _I'm_ here and I'm asking you to go to the doctor tomorrow and get them checked out."

"And if I don't?"

"I'll call Jack," she threatened with a grin.

He sighed angrily. "_Fine_."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Later they had made their way through the woods with the truck. It took some time, but Sawyer finally remembered where the cliff was. He left his own truck at the edge of the woods, and they drove the driver's truck to the cliff. They got out and took a walk to the edge, looking over. Sawyer left her and went to the truck. He leaned in through the broken drivers' side window and put the keys in the ignition without turning. He backed out and looked at her.

"Ready?"

She looked out over the cliff and took a deep breath. She looked back at him nodding.

"Yeah."

He nodded and reached in, turning the keys. He switched the gears into drive and pulled out, joining her at the rear. Together, they pushed with all the force they could gather. The truck was halfway over the edge when it finally started rolling itself. They stepped back and to the side, watching it plunge into the darkness below. Kate jumped, startled by the sudden splash that broke the silence. She folded her arms, suddenly shivering, and started walking away. He looked back over the edge once more, then turned away from it. He looked up and saw pink and orange creeping into the darkened sky.

"Kate!" he called in whisper, even though he knew she probably didn't hear.

But she did. She turned around and saw him looking up and out over the cliff.

"Lookit that," he said, pointing at the red sun slowly rising.

She saw it too. Without even realizing it, she found herself walking back to him, standing at his side. He put his arm around her shoulders and she leaned into him.

"A red sun," she sighed.

"Ain't that something…"

"Usually means blood's been spilled," she commented, quietly.

He paused, absorbing her words. It was so quiet. He felt the need to lessen the awkwardness.

"Yeah. Mine," he smirked.

She looked down, smiling. "Yeah," she agreed quietly, trying mostly to make herself feel better.

They stood quietly, watching the sun spread its colours through the sky - brilliant shades of red and yellow, and orange and pink. Big fluffy clouds began appearing, outlining themselves with pink rays of light. Before long, it had to be almost six thirty. They could now see clearly the water below, and it looked settled, as if nothing had yet touched its surface. Kate shook her head, sighing.

"He didn't deserve to die. He was just trying to do the right thing."

"You didn't do nothin' wrong," he assured her. "It was outta self-defense."

She nodded. "But he didn't deserve it."

"Think we deserved to crash on that damned island, and _live?_ None of us deserve what we get."

She stared out at the sunrise, wordlessly.

"'Cept maybe _Jack_," he joked.

She laughed weakly. "No. Jack least of all."

"Well what about _Locke_? I think that guy _deserved_ to stay on that island."

She smiled. "He stayed by his own free will."

"Probably havin' himself a good ol' chat with the monster right now. Or partyin' with them polar bears."

She laughed. "Is it really that easy to make fun of all of us?"

"I'd be lyin' if I said no."

"Well what about me?"

"_You?_ Ah, Freckles. You deserve anything and everything."

She looked at him, grateful for his words. He didn't know how much those five words had meant to her at that moment.

"You, of all people, don't deserve to be stuck in this hell with me," he said as they started walking back to his truck.

"I didn't realize we were in hell."

"Don't let the snow fool ya."

"Well if this is hell, I'm glad you're here with me," she stopped at the front of the truck with him.

He looked at her, unsure of what to say. He was glad too. He cleared his throat and pretended to shiver.

"C'mon. I left Ally at my house, unprotected."

"Unprotected?" she said, confused.

"The _house_. Not her…" he corrected himself, getting in the truck.

She smiled to herself and got in after him.


	33. Chapter 32

**Chapter 32**

"You _have _to go! You promised!"

"No!"

The next morning – or afternoon, being that that was _really_ when they woke up – Kate made a point of not forgetting the promise Sawyer had made the night before. Unfortunately, Sawyer _had_ forgotten, and now refused to see a doctor.

"Sawyer, you promised me you would!"

"I'm FINE!"

She walked to him and tapped his side gently. He let out a loud shout of pain.

"What'd you do that for!"

"I _tapped_ you! You see how much pain you're in?"

"I ain't in _any_ pain!"

"Stop lying to yourself! I shot you! Of course you're in pain!"

"Yeah. _You_ shot me."

She looked away, sighing, shaking her head. Did he have to keep bringing that up?

"If you hadn't run away, I woulda never gotten shot _by you_! And I wouldn't hafta go to a doctor!"

She turned around angrily. "Stop blaming _me!_"

"Why? It's your fault!"

"No one asked you to come after me, Sawyer!"

"What'd you want me to do? Let you stay out there and get caught? Or killed? Or…whatever?"

"I can take care of myself."

"Yeah. You and your mighty gun," he said, bitterly.

"Ugh!" she groaned. "Will you just stop it?"

"I ain't goin'!"

"You promised me! You're gonna break your promise now?"

"I ain't goin' _because_ of you!"

"Excuse me?"

"You think everything'll be fine 'n dandy if I go to a doctor and tell 'em I been shot? They're gonna wonder how! And what am I supposed to tell 'em then? My girlfriend shot me?"

And there he went again, blaming her. She was about to yell at him, but stopped herself, and instead licked her lips. _Girlfriend_…

"They ain't gonna just let me walk out!"

_Girlfriend…_

"Hello! Earth to Kate!"

"Sorry. What?" she snapped back to reality.

"Goin' to a doctor is 'bout the same as goin' to a cop!"

"So make something up!"

"Freckles, I used just 'bout every damn excuse in the book with them doctors. I'm fresh out."

"I thought you never went to a doctor for your shots?"

"I didn't!" he said quickly, mentally kicking himself for slipping up.

"See, you _can_ make something up!" she said, folding her arms.

"I'm _not_ goin'! I'll be fine!"

"And what happens when you have to get your leg amputated?"

"Do you have to have an answer to everything, Freckles?"

"Yeah. I do." She sighed. "I'm asking you to go to a doctor because I _care_ about you. I don't want anything to happen to you," she said, hugging him.

He pushed her away. "And I don't wanna go 'cause _I _care about _you_! I don't wanna risk you gettin' caught!"

"HOW am I going to get caught if you go to a doctor!" she put her hands on her hips.

Suddenly, Allison's door opened and she joined them in the kitchen, in her usual t-shirt and panties. She carelessly opened the fridge door, shoving Kate away, and looked for something to drink.

"Enjoying the view, Sawyer?" Kate said, accusingly, having caught him staring at Allison's rear.

He looked away sheepishly. Allison quickly grabbed her drink and sat at the table, satisfied with herself.

"Why don't we get a third opinion?" Kate suggested. "Allison, don't you think Sawyer should go to a doctor to get those injuries checked out?"

She shrugged. "Personally, I think he's big enough to make his own decisions."

"THANK YOU!" he said, gratefully.

"Fine. Forget it. Don't go to a doctor. Get a damn infection!" she said, going upstairs, slamming the bedroom door behind her.

"Well isn't she cheery this morning?" Ally commented.

"_Thank you_ for backin' me up," he said, sitting at the table with her.

"Sure. But you know, I'd be pissed too if you promised _me_ you'd go to a doctor and then you don't."

"Whose side are you takin'?"

"I don't wanna be on any sides! This is between you and her!" She paused. "But you also have to understand where she's coming from."

He looked at her awkwardly.

"She shot you Sawyer! Do you know how bad she's been feeling for that?"

He said nothing, but continued staring, his eyebrows furrowed. She sighed.

"She came in the house last night and I was only watching TV. She was shaking uncontrollably and crying hysterically. All she kept saying was 'I killed him'. Now I wouldn't know, but I'd say it's a safe bet that that was the most shaken up she's ever been. I asked her who she killed, but she wouldn't say. Wasn't too hard to figure out who." She paused, taking a sip of her drink. "Beside being overcome by joy to see you alive, she's still filled with the guilt of hurting you."

"She is?" he asked quietly.

"How would you feel in her place? Assuming she was dead, you spend awhile blaming yourself, then see she's alive."

"Horrible," he ran a hand through his hair. "Like I'd wanna make it up to her everyday."

"Exactly. She's just trying to make up for what she's done."

"But I'm only lookin' out for her. That's why I don't wanna go."

"Well she's only looking out for you too. But again, it's your decision, she said, getting up and grabbing her glass. She started to go back into her room.

"Ally!" he stopped her. She turned around. "Thanks."

She laughed. "Anytime, Tennessee."

He watched her leave, then sighed, exasperatedly. He took a sip of his drink and slammed it down.

"I ain't goin' to a doctor," he muttered.

But ashort while later, Sawyer went upstairs to find Kate. She was just coming out of his room when he was about to knock. She gasped.

"You scared me."

"What were you doin' up here so long?"

"Nothing," she said quickly. "Why?"

"Just curious. I wanted to tell ya, I still ain't goin' to a doctor."

"Okay," she said, calmly.

"Okay?" he repeated.

"Yeah. You're right. It's your decision, not mine."

He put his hands on her waist and pulled her to him. "I love you, Freckles. You know that?"

She began to feel a twinge of guilt, knotting inside of her. Maybe she shouldn't have done what she had just…

"Yeah," she replied.

"So I was thinkin' of orderin' lunch from that Chinese place again."

"Ooh? You planning to _share_ this time."

"Depends. What's my reward for sharin'?"

"Hmm. I'll have to think of something. Options are limited with your current condition."

"Not _everything's_ hurt…"

"Pig," she grinned, pulling out of his embrace.


	34. Chapter 33

**Chapter 33**

Four days passed since Sawyer's refusal to see a doctor. Strangely, he had no complaints about his wounds. It was unusual because they _should_ have been bothering him. Kate struggled not to ask him about them, and to act like they were nothing. But it grew difficult sometimes, because she was positive he was in pain. She'd seen him wince a few times, just to reach up to the liquor cabinet, which was no taller than he. He still walked with a slight limp when no one was watching, but she caught that too. At the moment, Allison was in her usual spot on the couch. Kate and Sawyer, on the other hand, were in the upstairs bathroom, because Kate had forced him to clean the wounds at least once a day. The doorbell rang. Sawyer and Kate exchanged glances. There were no expected visitors today. They both ran out in the hallway. Kate started toward the attic, while he headed to the stairs.

"Sawyer!" she hissed.

He stopped and saw her pointing to the ceiling. The rope to pull down the ladder was stuck in the door – too high for either of them to reach.

"Lift me up. I'll get it," she told him quietly, but demandingly.

Doing as he was told, he ran back over to her and gripped her waist. He lifted her up but it still wasn't high enough. He lowered his hands to her thighs, glad to hear no objection. Meanwhile, Allison decided she was going to have to open the door, seeing as no one else wanted to. Assuming it was no one special anyway, she neglected to change out of the t-shirt and way-too-short gym shorts she had on. She opened the door to see a tall man with very short dark hair and matching stubble. He held a large suitcase and a smaller black bag.

At the same time the front door open, Kate and Sawyer froze to listen. The man cleared his throat.

"Hi. Is, uh, Sawyer around?"

Sawyer gripped her tighter. "You called Jack?" he whispered, angrily.

"Ow! Stop that!"

"Kate!" he said, in disbelief.

"Sawyer!"

Kate suddenly lost her balance and started to wobble. Of course, Sawyer too lost his balance and fell backward. Kate let out a scream before falling on top of him seconds later. Sawyer yelled out in pain when she hit his side. Immediately, Allison turned around and she and Jack saw Kate and Sawyer uncomfortably on top of each other – both wide-eyed.

"Jack!" Kate said, acting surprised. "Uh…It's so good to see you!" she said, finally managing to stand up again.

"Uh, good to see you too, Kate…"

She walked down the stairs quickly, smoothing her shirt. She hugged him tightly while Sawyer got up, running a hand through his hair. He too made it down the stairs.

"Somebody wanna tell me what the hell you're doin' here?"

"And nice to see you too, Sawyer," Jack said.

Sawyer looked at Kate and noticed her looking away guiltily. But even more startling, Allison, who stood right next to her, was doing the same exact thing.

"_You _knew too?" he looked at Allison, surprised.

"I…might've eavesdropped a bit."

He turned to Kate and grabbed her arm in a tight grasp.

"Ow!" she cried out, softly.

"Can I talk to you a minute, Freckles?" he said angrily.

She looked at him regretfully, and he pulled her upstairs.

"I have a feeling they'll be at it for a while," Allison told Jack. "You want something to drink?"

"Sure," he replied, having nothing else to do.

Up in Sawyer's room…

"I can't believe you called him!"

"I _had _to!"

"You _had_ to? I already told ya, I ain't seein' a doctor!"

"Sawyer, please! You act like it's the end of the world. At least this way, we know you won't die. And _I _can sleep at night!"

"Are you kidding me right now, Freckles?"

"He'll only be in around for a few days. And – "

"A few days?" he cut in. "And where's he gonna stay? HERE?"

"I don't know. But what if he did? What would you do? Kick him out?"

"Yeah! Damn right I will!"

"Then I'd go with him," she threatened.

He glared at her. "Sometimes I can't even stand you, Freckles."

"Listen," she said, lowering her voice. "I didn't tell him _how_ you got shot. As far as he knows, you were with some friends when it happened, okay?"

"Why didn't you tell him?"

"To what do I owe him an explanation?"

He chuckled. "Good point."

* * *

"Does that hurt?" Jack asked, pressing a finger on Sawyer's leg.

He winced, but held back. "Not really."

Kate rolled her eyes. He was such a pathetic liar.

"Does this hurt?" Jack pressed on the wound on this side.

This time, Sawyer let out a loud yell that echoed through the house. In response, Allison came out of her room, wide-eyed to see what had happened.

"Gotta be so rough, Doc?"

Jack looked over at Kate wearing a small grin. She shook her head at him, almost laughing. Allison sat on the arm of the chair opposite from Kate, watching.

"How'd you say you got these again?" Jack asked, with his usual concerned expression now on his face.

"I was, uh, out – "

"With a couple of friends," Kate interrupted. Jack looked at her suspiciously. She raised her eyebrows in defense and he looked back at Sawyer.

"Yeah. And uh – "

"One of them had a gun," she added in again.

Allison looked away, shaking her head. Jack glanced at her, confused, but then returned his attention to Sawyer.

"Yeah…" he continued, growing annoyed. "So, um, we were just – "

"They were fooling around. But – "

"I think I _know_ the story! You gonna let me tell it or what, sweetheart?"

"Sorry."

"ANYWAY…" he paused, trying to think of something. "We were foolin' around," he said finally, taking a quick look at Kate, who was clearly fighting the urge to laugh. "But, uh, this one guy. He gets a hell of a temper and starts shootin' his gun randomly around. Now all the other guys managed to get away, but I was lucky enough to get a couple of souvenirs from the bastard."

"Did you call the police?"

Sawyer quickly glanced at Kate. "No. He was just drunk. Didn't need to get the police involved. Good guy when he ain't drunk. Hell of a mechanic. Fixed up my truck a few times. Weren't for him, she'd be in a junkyard right now."

Kate smiled at the floor, amused with Sawyer's storytelling skills. "Although, that's where it _should_ be."

"Hey, now. She still got some life left in her!"

"Sure," Kate said, rolling her eyes.

"Well I wouldn't walk too much on your leg, if possible," Jack said, before Sawyer had the chance to further defend his truck. "Lying down would be your best bet to prevent pain from the both of them."

"Oh goody," he said sarcastically, but at the same time, glancing at Kate.

"So where are the bullets?" Jack asked, looking around the wounds.

"Pulled 'em out."

"Did my work for me then. Best I can do is prescribe an antibiotic so it won't get infected, and a painkiller." He paused, writing something down, and let out a small laugh. "Idiot reason to come down here, really."

Kate suddenly got up and left the room, joining Allison in the kitchen. Jack watched her go sadly. Stupid of him to say that.

"See you still got a way with the ladies, huh, Doc?" Sawyer grinned, putting his shirt back on.

Jack shook his head and got up, going into the kitchen.

"Kate?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure."

Allison watched them standing there uncertainly.

"Okay, okay. I'm gone," she said, leaving them.

"So where'd _she_ come from?" Jack asked.

"Beats me. I've been trying to get it out of Sawyer for days now."

"How are you doing?" he said, softly.

"I'm fine."

"No. I mean…"

"Oh. It's…" she nodded, sadly. "It's gone."

"It's gone. He agreed with you then?" he frowned.

"No. We were going to…It just…I miscarried."

"Kate, I'm sorry."

"It's okay," she took a deep breath. "I'm fine now."


	35. Chapter 34

**Chapter 34**

Allison left them alone and sat on the couch next to Sawyer.

"How you doing, Tennessee?" she said, teasingly.

"I'm fine. Doc gave me my meds," he held up the prescription paper. "Didn't get a lollipop though."

"You must be a bad patient."

"Yeah. Sure."

"So…who is he?"

"He's a son of a bitch."

"Okay. And now _out_ of _your_ reality?"

"The doctor on the island. The _hero_," he rolled his eyes.

"Was he the competition?" she playfully inquired.

"Competition?"

"Oh come on. There had to be more choices than you on the island. She didn't just choose you, did she?"

He looked away, annoyed.

She laughed, shaking her head. "I know you SO well."

"Whatever."

"You know, you may wanna go break them up. He could be putting the moves on her."

He laughed and got up. "Yeah. Thanks."

"Sawyer!"

He turned around.

"Is he married?" she asked, with a grin.

"Yeah. Right," he said, entering the kitchen.

Simultaneously, Kate and Jack looked at Sawyer.

"So, you guys done with your little reunion now?"

"You know, I think I'll go check into a hotel now or something. I don't want to make this any more awkward than it already is," Jack said.

"Good idea," Sawyer agreed.

Kate glared at Sawyer. She knew, after what Jack had said, he'd make sure she waited on him all day long. She suddenly got an idea to get him back. "Jack, why don't you stay here for the few days until your flight?"

Sawyer looked at her incredulously.

"I mean," she continued. "Sawyer has an extra room upstairs. Why bother paying those petty fees when you can stay here for free?"

Jack looked at Sawyer for confirmation, or quite possibly, permission. Kate looked at him too, eyebrows raised. Sawyer's lowered.

"_Fine_."

"Good," she smiled, pleased with herself. "I'll help you bring your stuff up."

Sawyer watched them go, and as luck would have it, Allison was coming in right as they left. She cocked her head and pointed backward.

"Yeah," Sawyer said, annoyed. "He's stayin'."

* * *

Later that night, Allison had decided to make dinner for everyone for once. With Jack's aid – well, his car – she went out to the store to buy what she needed and got straight to cooking when she got home. She had finally put something more decent on, even if it was only jeans and a sequined tank top. Kate had set the table, feeling a strange need to do something other than sit awkwardly in the room with Jack and Sawyer. When everything was done, they took seats around the table – Kate next to Jack and Sawyer, and Allison between Kate and Jack.

"Bon a' petite!" Ally said, smiling at Jack.

They all started eating the pasta in meat sauce Allison had prepared. Aside from the clanking of utensils to dishes, the room was very quiet. Allison cleared her throat.

"So, um, Jack, how long have you been a doctor?"

"A few years, give or take."

"Really? Have you ever like…saved someone who was hopeless?"

"Well, actually…"

As Allison and Jack went into sudden deep conversation, Kate kept stealing glances at Sawyer. He began to notice and finally put his fork down on his plate, starting a quieter conversation between him and Kate.

"Some reason you're lookin' at me like that?" he said in a low voice.

"No. Just like lookin' at you," she beamed, taking a sip of her drink. "Is that a problem?"

"No. No problem. Just gettin' a little annoying."

"You rather I look at Jack?" she teased, quietly, stealing a glance at Jack.

"I _saw_ that!" Sawyer whispered.

She looked at her food, innocently. "Saw what?"

"You _always_ gotta bring him into it?"

She twirled her fork around and around absently, managing to not get a single strand of angel-hair on it. She finally looked up at him.

"No. I just like seeing that little angry-but-jealous look you get whenever I mention his name," she joked, softly.

He looked away from her and started to focus on his food. She looked at him, waiting for him to say something, but he didn't. Though it confused her, she, too, tried to focus on her food. But then she felt something sliding up her ankle. She looked over at Sawyer and he was grinning mischievously. Looking under the table, she saw his foot sliding up her leg. She looked quickly at Allison and Jack and back to Sawyer.

"Stop," she mouthed, though smiling.

He shook his head and sent his foot higher. She started to laugh, and had to put her fork down to cover her mouth. She shook her leg and his leg slid off hers. When she thought she had won, she took her fork again and tried to take another bite of food. But he took her foot in both of his and starting running both slowly up her leg. She let out an unintentional laugh, but thankfully, neither Jack nor Allison noticed.

"I mean it," she whispered.

He failed to stop and started rubbing her ankle with both feet, rapidly. She slammed down the fork loudly, trying to hide her silent laughter, but her face was turning bright red. Sawyer finally stopped and Allison and Jack looked at her.

"Are you all right?" Jack asked.

"I don't know what she's all worked up about," Sawyer said innocently, eating more of his pasta.

Kate shook her head, and her laughter finally stopped, but her face remained bright red, and her smile didn't fade. Jack continued to look at her, confused.

"It was nothing," she said, finally.

"Seems like a whole lotta something to make your face that red," Allison retorted.

In response, Kate put a hand to her face and felt its heat. "It was just…it was nothing. Um, anyway, the food is really good," she said, picking up her fork again.

Sawyer laughed to himself, and decided to help her out. "Yeah. It is."

"Well, thank you," Allison said, feeling proud.

Kate looked at Sawyer, half-glaring and half-grinning. He gave her a challenging look, but she shook her head almost laughing again. He looked back down at his food, victoriously.

"I'm full, actually," she said, suddenly.

"Kate, you barely ate anything," Jack said, frowning.

"I'm not a big eater," she said, pushing her chair out from the table and taking her plate to the sink. Jack watched her, frowning.

"Actually, I'm done too," Sawyer said, following Kate to the sink.

"You're such an ass," she whispered, rinsing her plate off.

"You know you liked it, Freckles," he whispered back, rinsing his with hers. "That's why your face got so red."

She shook her head. Sawyer left his plate as is, and without drying his hand, grabbed her side, underneath her shirt. She jumped and dropped the plate, which loudly clanked into the sink. She put a soap covered hand to her face and Sawyer pulled away, just in time before Allison and Jack both looked over, startled.

"She's clumsy," Sawyer said simply. "That's why I'll never let her cook. Makes a mess outta everything."

Kate rolled her eyes and turned off the water and dried her hands. "I'm going to change," she said, then headed up the stairs.

"_I'm_ gonna go shower," Sawyer said. "So don't go doin' dishes 'til I'm done."

"O-kay…" Allison said.

As soon as he left, Jack turned to Allison.

"So are they usually like that?"

"Not really. They're usually really quiet when I'm around," she said, finishing her food.

"Well it was really good," Jack complimented her, finishing his as well and trying to break away from the topic of Sawyer and Kate.

"Thanks," she said, clearing her place.

"Do you usually cook?" he asked, clearing his own place, going to the sink with her.

"Nope. This was the first time," she grinned at him.

"Any special reason why?" he smiled back.

"For you," she smirked, starting to wash the dishes. "Because you're _that_ special. But I'm sure you've heard that a lot. I mean, saving peoples' lives and all…"

He laughed and shook his head, leaning back against the counter watching her. "No. You're actually the first."

"Oh that's a shame. You're making me feel sorry for you now," she teased.

He laughed again. "Don't."

"All right, I won't."

He started to help her dry the dishes. "So what brought you here, to Sawyer's house, I mean?"

"I…just got out of jail and needed a place to stay for a little while," she said plainly, looking up at him, seriously.

His smile began to fade and he grew quiet.

"Wanna know what I did?" she smiled mischievously.

"No. You don't need to tell me."

"It's stupid really," she laughed. "You'll probably laugh when you hear it."

"Allison…I don't need to know. It's none of my business."

"But it was really all Sawyer's fault."

That caught his attention…


	36. Chapter 35

Quickie:  
Just so we all know, I'm a diehard YANKEE fan! w00t! Yeah. Just wanted to clear it up. :)

**Chapter 35**

Upstairs, Kate had changed into her pajamas and Sawyer was still in the shower. She went into the bathroom and opened the medicine cabinet, looking for her toothbrush. The sliding shower door opened.

"You mind, Freckles?" Sawyer's head poked out from the door.

"Nope," she said, not even looking at him.

"What're you lookin' for?"

"My toothbrush. It's not in the cabinet where I left it."

For a minute, Sawyer was quiet and the door slid closed.

"You sure you left it in there?"

"Yeah. I used it this morning."

Not long after, it opened again and he was there.

"Hey Freckles," he whispered.

She turned to look at him and he held her toothbrush.

"I beg to differ."

"You wanna toss that over here?" she said, her hands on her hips.

He said nothing, but waggled it more, raising his eyebrows, waiting to see what she'd do. Exactly as he had wanted, she walked over and went to get it, but he raised his arm high above her head. She folded her arms and waited for him to lower it, but it slipped out of his hand and fell into the shower. He looked at it, then back at her, grinning.

"You wanna come in and get it?" he asked.

"Forget it," she turned around.

But he grabbed her arm and pulled her back. She turned around, looking straight up into his eyes.

"Don't you dare," she warned.

"Or what?" he started to pull her slowly.

"Sawyer!" she shouted.

But he had already pulled her into the shower. Luckily, the faucet and knobs were at the other end, so she didn't hit anything. She stood up, her pajamas rapidly getting soaked.

"I just put these on!"

"What for?" he said in mock annoyance.

"You are unbelievable!" she said, looking up at him. She turned to get back out, but he slid the door closed.

"Not-uh. You ain't gettin' away that easy."

"What're you gonna do? Hold me hostage in the shower?" she almost laughed.

"Somethin' like that," he said, sliding his hands up and down her waist slowly.

"Please. You're _injured_."

"Hey. I took my meds so I'm all good," he stepped back, raising his hands in the air dropping his defense.

She laughed and shook her head. "In case you've forgotten, the meds are only temporary."

"That's okay. I'll take what I can get," he teased, looking her up and down.

Her shirt was drenched and stuck against her tightly at every curve of her body. Her flannel pants stuck themselves against her legs. The curls of her hair were slowly soaking and straightening themselves out and water was dripping down her face.

"You know, I'm likin' the new look, Freckles."

"I'm kinda fond of yours, myself," she said, looking downward, then back at his face, with a sudden change of heart.

He laughed and pulled her close. "It's one of a kind," he grinned. "But I'm sure they have one similar in your size…"

"Yeah?" she slid her hands up his chest and around his neck.

She pulled him down to her and leaned up on her tiptoes kissing him. He wasted no time peeling off her soaked shirt. He was thrilled to find nothing but bare skin underneath. He tossed it over the top of the doors and it landed on the tile floor with a loud smack. He quickly lifted her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist. He backed her against the wall and their kissing grew fierce and yet, gentle.

He used his body to hold her up against the wall while he started tugging at her pants. He slid them – along with her panties – down her legs, and wriggled them off each leg, one by one. Without bothering to even toss them out of the shower, he wrapped his arms around her once more and started kissing down her chest, teasing her breasts with his lips. She closed her eyes, blinking away the water, as they moved in an upward rhythm. She could feel her back slightly sliding up and down the slippery tiled wall but was only filled with pure delight and pleasure.

The water was starting to feel numbingly hot. Steam poured from the top rim of the doors, and it looked as though the whole room was filled with fog…

* * *

Allison and Jack, meanwhile, had finished the dishes and were now talking over coffee in the living room. Though Allison finally got off the topic of why she was in prison, Jack couldn't stop thinking about how she said it was Sawyer's fault. Silence filled the room and they both looked down awkwardly. While Jack sat forward in the armchair, Allison was sitting with her legs outstretched on the couch, tracing the rim of her cup.

"I hate to sound rude, but it's been itching at me since you got here," she started, suddenly. "Do you and Kate have a history? I mean being stuck on that island together and everything. Did _anything _happen between you two?"

He looked up at her and she saw his face looked tired now. She felt bad for asking, but she really wanted to know. He sighed.

"Kate and I…" he nodded. "We've had our moments. But…it didn't really…" he shook his head now, looking away. "It didn't work out."

She nodded and it grew quiet again.

"So do you still see any of the other survivors of your flight?" she asked, wanting to get rid of the tension in the air.

"Yeah. I still see a good handful of them."

"That's good. It's good you keep in touch. Really good," she said, looking down now.

"You must have a lot of friends, right?"

"I had a few," she smiled, thinking about them. "Lot of junkies they turned out to be. But they're the kind of people who always have your back, no matter what, you know? _Now_, none of them will talk to me anymore. I haven't seen or heard from them since I was arrested."

"I thought they had your back?"

"You would think right?" she sniggered and lied back on the couch. "But that's the tragic life I lead. Homeless, friendless, and sexless!"

"Not friendless," he assured her, smiling.

She smiled back gratefully.

"What's that?" he asked suddenly.

"What?"

"On your wrist?"

"Oh. It's a charm bracelet. Been passed down for a few years. My great grandmother to my grandmother to my mother to me. Each time we're supposed to add a new charm. But only one. Then we hand it off to the next generation. It's kind of like a family heirloom, I guess."

She took it off and sat up to show him. He got up and sat next to her on the couch to get a better look.

"My great grandmother put this silver rose on it because that was her favorite flower. My grandmother put this one."

"A whale?"

"She wanted it to symbolize her."

He laughed. "A whale symbolizes her?"

"Well, she was pretty big," she laughed too. She spun the bracelet a little bit to the last charm. "This one my mom put on."

"Is she a dancer?" he said, looking at the tiny pinky ballet slipper.

"Was. Yeah."

"I'm sorry."

She shook her head. "I used to take ballet when I was little. So I guess I got it from her."

They both got quiet. She spun the bracelet around in her fingers a few times, absently. Jack looked at it again.

"There's only three charms on it," he noted.

"I haven't gotten one yet. Haven't been able to decide what to put on it."

Jack pulled out his keys from his pocket suddenly, and started fumbling with them. Allison sat up watching him as he appeared to be taking something off them. He put his keys on the coffee table. She looked from then back to him.

"Let me see your bracelet."

She gave it to him and he spun it around to an empty space. She watched him curiously, unable to see what he was doing. When he seemed to be done, he looked at her. She looked from his hand with her bracelet clenched in it, to him. He took her hand and opened it, and put her bracelet in it. She looked down at it and finally saw what he had done. He had put a tiny metal pair of red socks on a chain with a clip-on clasp onto her bracelet. She smiled.

"Tiny red socks…" she laughed. "How cute."

"They'll win eventually," he grinned.

"They will," she agreed.

He watched her smiling as she admired the little socks. She looked back up to him, beaming.

"They're perfect. Thank you," she kissed him lightly on the cheek.

"You're welcome." He laughed. "I kind of feel like a cheese ball now."

"No. It wasn't cheesy. It was sweet," she assured him.

He shrugged.

"Hate to sound like all those sappy movies but, _this is the nicest thing any guy has ever done for me_," she said in a high-pitch mocking voice.

"Now _that _is cheesy."

She laughed. "It is, isn't it? And yet, I just said it!"

He laughed too. "Well if that's the case, I'm proud to be the nicest guy you've ever met."

"Ooh hang on there, buddy. Getting ahead of yourself, aren't you?" she teased.

"Well, _you_ just said it."

"Touché."

They both quieted again, and Allison seized the opportunity to put her bracelet back on. Jack glanced at her and saw she was having trouble with the clasp and the bits of hair that she had to keep pushing out of her face to see it.

"Do you want help?" he offered.

"Sure."

He took the bracelet and she held out her wrist. After a few tries, the bracelet was back on, and he looked back at her. Their eyes immediately locked. Not a minute later, they were kissing passionately.

They fell into the couch together engulfed in what seemed to be an everlasting kiss. Allison's fingers wandered down his shirt as she started unbuttoning each button. He slid her shirt upward and she stopped unbuttoning his to let him lift it over her head. She quickly finished all the buttons and pushed his shirt back and down his arms and he shrugged it off. The kiss suddenly grew more and more intense. They started to unbutton each other's jeans and Allison broke away from the kiss, panting. She laughed.

"This breaks so many first date rules."

He laughed too. "I'm guessing right about now, you really don't care?"

"You know me well already."

She pulled him down to her kissing him. Just then they both broke away, startled by a screech from the shower faucet turning off.

"Shit," Allison muttered.

She and Jack looked at each other and laughed. He got up off of her and they hurried to get their clothes back on. Proving them to have good timing, Kate came down the stairs fully dressed in pajamas, drying her hair with a towel. She slowed at the last few steps, Jack and Allison staring at her. She started folding the towel and quickly went into the kitchen, without a word. Jack and Allison exchanged glances and were thinking the same thing. Wasn't Sawyer the one taking the shower?


	37. Chapter 36

**Chapter 36**

After a few minutes, Jack and Allison went into the kitchen wondering what exactly had gone on. Even though they had a good idea already, Allison, of course, couldn't resist the opportunity to annoy Kate. After all, annoying people was what she was good at, and what had gotten her so far in life… Kate was sitting at the table, looking through a magazine when they came in. Allison joined her at the table and Jack stood in the doorway.

"Hey Kate," Allison started, cheerfully.

"Hello," she said, not looking up.

"Whatcha doin'?" she asked casually.

"Browsing."

"Anything good?"

"Nope."

"Soo…you showered?" she threw in, suddenly.

"Yep," she said, flipping the page, already not liking where this was going.

"Where's Sawyer?"

"Upstairs showering."

"I didn't hear the faucet turn back on," Jack joined the conversation.

Kate stopped in mid page-flipping. Were they trying to gang up on her now? Was Jack seriously sinking that low? Since when did he concern himself with _her_ personal life? Scratch that. That was never an unanswered question.

"I never turned it off," she said simply.

"So he just went in after you got out?" Allison asked, curiously.

"Yeah," she nodded, looking at them like they were crazy.

"Why'd we hear the faucet two minutes before you came down?" Jack asked.

"Maybe he wanted the water to get hotter," she said, starting to feel a slight twinge of hate for him at the moment.

"I never heard it go back on," Jack continued.

"I left it on, remember?" she said, annoyed.

"And the water isn't running now because…" Allison said.

"Why is this suddenly any of your business?" she asked, sharply. "We're all adults here. You'd think we could act like it!"

"Oh come on! I've never done it in the shower. Was it good?"

Kate glared at her.

"Prying minds want to know!" Allison insisted.

Kate turned around suddenly looking at Jack. His curious expression eased and he looked innocent.

"_Minds_?" she stared at him, sternly.

He opened his mouth to say something, but Sawyer just walked into the room and they all grew silent.

"What's goin' on?" he asked, questioningly.

"Nothing," the three of them said in unison.

"What'd you practice that or somethin'?" he joked, going into the pantry to get a shirt.

"Well," Allison said, then paused for a moment. "I think I'm gonna go to bed."

"Yeah, you do that," Kate muttered, as Ally walked to the doorway.

She stopped and turned around scowling, but Kate was already back to her magazine. She turned to Jack instead.

"Good night."

"Night," he said, watching her go into her room until the door closed.

"Looks like Doc's got himself a girlfriend," Sawyer said, sitting at the table with Kate, lighting a cigarette.

"I'll say," she said, flipping pages hastily.

"We're just friends," Jack said.

"Friends with inquiring _minds_," Kate said, now glaring at one of the pictures.

"She was the one asking. Not me."

"But you were there to back her up," she argued, still refusing to look at him.

"I wasn't backing her up! I was just agreeing with her."

"Did I miss somethin'?" Sawyer said, confused, letting out a puff of smoke.

Kate shook her head. Jack watched her, suddenly angry that _she_ was angry with _him_.

"You know, I understand this would be considered the privacy of your own home, but you could have some courtesy when you have guests," Jack retorted, heading out of the kitchen to go upstairs.

Kate's mind exploded. Who did he think he was? What _she_ did wasn't any of _his_ business! She got up quickly, slapping the magazine down on the table, and her chair fell over. She raced after Jack who was at the bottom of the steps now.

"How _dare_ you!"

"How dare _me?_" he said in disbelief. "How dare you!"

Hearing the shouting outside her door, Allison opened her door up and stepped out.

"It's bad enough that I've had to put up with _her_!" Kate said, pointing to Allison, who felt suddenly offended. "But I don't need this from _you_, Jack! I had _courtesy_ enough to invite you to stay here even though I _knew_ Sawyer wouldn't like it! And now you have the audacity to say something like that?"

"How could _you_ be so bold as to do…certain _things_ when there's other people in the house?"

"Oh come on, Jack! You're a doctor, we're all adults! No need for euphemisms."

"_Fine_! I'll say it! How could you have had _sex_ with Sawyer with she and I only one floor away from you?"

"Why does it concern you?"

He quieted. There really was no answer he could give her for that question. He decided to take the coward's way out.

"You know what, I don't want to argue with you, Kate. I'm wrong, you're right, okay? Good night," he said, turning to go back up the stairs.

"I'm not finished!"

"Well I _am_," he said, not even bothering to turn around.

Kate paused, thinking of what to say. Then it suddenly hit her.

"I wouldn't have thought you'd be a jealous person, Jack."

He stopped and turned around looking at her in disbelief. "Who's jealous? Your business is _your_ business, Kate."

"Then why do you feel the need to get into it?" When he didn't answer, she added, "You know what, forget it. Go run away to bed."

"I'm not running away, Kate. That's your profession," he said crossly and retreated into his room.

Kate glared after him, her hands on her hips, and sighed angrily. Sawyer - who was now in the kitchen doorway – and Allison exchanged bewildered glances. Kate looked at Allison who started backing into her room, then back to Sawyer who was looking surprised.

"He can leave tomorrow, for all I care," Kate said walking toward him, rubbing her head.

"As much as I'm all for that, Freckles, you and I both know you'll change your mind in the mornin'," he said, putting out his cigarette.

She sighed and righted the fallen chair and slumped into it. Sawyer strolled over to her and stood behind her. He put his hands on her shoulders and started to massage her upper back. She inhaled slowly and closed her eyes.

"Mmm. That feels really good," she moaned.

"One of my many great qualities," he boasted. "You all good now, after yellin' at Jack-O?"

She sighed. "They ganged up on me."

"Shoulda let me come down first. My hair dries faster," he said, trying to make her feel better.

She snickered. "Sure would've saved a lot of trouble for me."

"I'm sure he ain't gonna wanna stay around too much longer after tonight."

"Yeah? What about her?"

"I been tryin' to think of ways to get rid of her."

"And?"

"I'll let you know when I can find one that's legal," he grinned.

She laughed and put her hands on his, stopping the massage. "You can stop now."

He slid his hands from hers and took a seat next to her. She leaned forward, resting her head in her arms on the table and closing her eyes. Sawyer stared at the floor.

"Doc n' Ally," he snickered.

Kate opened her eyes and smiled. "What a match, huh?"

"They'll _never_ make it. She's too much of a handful for him."

"Not to mention he's got another girl at home probably."

"Doc?" he raised his eyebrows.

She sat upright again. "Yeah. The one I caught him sleeping with."

Sawyer laughed. "Jackass, cheatin'?" he shook his head. "He seems more the _faithful_ type to me. Probably dumped that girl before he even came here."

"And why would he do that?" she asked, amused.

"Why do you think?"

She thought for a moment. Of course she already knew what his answer would be. But it would be too priceless to see his face while saying it to pass it up.

"I don't know. You tell me."

He looked at her amused face and a grin spread across his own. "You just wanna hear me say it," he said, seeing through her plot.

She beamed and pulled her knees up and to her chest, looking at him.

"Maybe."

He shook his head and pulled out another cigarette.

"You just had one!"

"Yeah. And?"

"You're going to kill yourself with all the smoking you do."

"And since when do you care?"

"That's not funny."

"Wasn't tryin' to be."

"Put it out," she demanded gently.

"No."

She stared at him, angry and disappointed. He sighed. As long as she kept staring like that, he couldn't say no. Her eyes were so intoxicating. He sighed and smashed the butt in his ashtray.

"Thank you."

He stared at the burnt out cigarette, and after a pause, finally said, "You're welcome."


	38. Chapter 37

**Chapter 37 **

The next morning, Kate awoke earlier than Sawyer for once. She sat up for a minute and looked at the clock – 8:30. _Too early_, she thought. Laying back again, she turned over and leaned into him. Confused, she sat up. Why did he feel so warm? She looked over her shoulder at him and noticed he was sweating. _Maybe he's dreaming again_, she thought. She nudged him a bit and he opened his eyes.

"Yeah?" he muttered, in a coarse voice.

"You all right?"

He rubbed his face and took in a deep breath. But he suddenly started coughing. Kate stared at him. He sat up slowly, and winced in pain.

"Damn. Now I _do_ regret last night's shower."

She smiled weakly. "Were you, um, dreaming?" she asked, hesitantly.

"No, why?"

Kate crawled closer to him in the bed. She rested a hand on his forehead, then slid it down on his cheek.

"What exactly are ya doin', Freckles?"

"Sawyer, you're hot as hell."

She tore the covers off and got up, heading to the bathroom.

"Where you goin'?"

"To look for a thermometer."

"A thermometer? What for?"

Moments later, she returned with a thermometer in hand. It was old, but it would do. She sat on the edge of the bed next to him.

"Open," she instructed.

He looked at her like she was crazy. "Since when are you a doctor?"

"Want me to get Jack?" she threatened.

He rolled his eyes and opened his mouth. She put it under his tongue and he held it there, closing his mouth. She looked at the box, reading the directions and he crossed his eyes, trying to see the reading. She looked at him and laughed. He uncrossed his eyes and looked at her.

"What?" he said, taking the thermometer out.

"Keep it in!"

He sighed and put it back in. A minute later, several beeps indicated it was finished. Kate grabbed it before he had a chance to, and looked at it.

"101.4. You have a fever."

"So?"

"Does anything hurt?"

"You mean besides the two wounds where you shot me?"

She rolled her eyes angrily. "Yeah. Besides those."

"My throat's a little sore. Why? That bad?"

"Lay down."

"Is it bad?" he asked again, getting worried.

She laughed. He wore the same face he gave Jack when he told him he had "hyperopia". "Lay down, Sawyer," she said, calmly.

He lied down and she put the blankets back around him. But he started pushing them off.

"I'm hot enough as it is. I don't need – "

"You _need_ to sweat it out. So you can get better. So keep the blankets _on_."

"So what? You gonna play mom to me now?"

"No," she said getting up and going to the door. She turned around. "I'm going to play the girlfriend who takes care of you," she said, feeling strange after letting the words actually come out. She looked at Sawyer, who was looking at her, intrigued. He was probably just as surprised as she was that she said that. She stood awkwardly, letting a brief silence pass by.

"Uh, I'm going to make you some tea," she said. Then, to try to sound normal again, she added, "So don't you dare get up."

"Tea. _Joy_."

But after she left, he sat up. _The girlfriend who takes care of him_, he repeated in his mind, unaware of the grin that spread across his face. _I like that_. Girlfriend. It was the first time he'd actually heard her use the word. He was feeling better already.

When Kate got downstairs, she heard voices coming from the kitchen. When she walked in, Allison and Jack were sitting at the table, drinking coffee.

"Good morning," Jack said.

"Morning," Kate nodded.

She went to the cupboards and took out a mug, then started to fill a teapot with water. Weird, she thought. She just nodded good morning; she never did that. Sawyer always did that. She shook her head at herself, unable to decide if it was really a bad thing. When she realized the room was too quiet, she looked over her shoulder at both of them. Allison was looking away from her and Jack was fiddling with something. At least he didn't seem to be too angry anymore…

"I didn't know you drank tea," Jack said finally.

"I don't, usually. But I'm making it for Sawyer."

Both Allison and Jack looked at her, surprised. She continued to put the pot of water on the stove, then turned around and saw their faces.

"I, uh, didn't know Sawyer drank tea," Jack said.

Kate laughed. "He doesn't. I think he's caught a cold."

"Oh."

The teapot suddenly started to whistle and Kate poured the hot water into the mug with the teabag. She saw a small bottle of honey, but guessing that Sawyer wasn't a fan of sweets, she didn't put any in. She took the steaming mug and started going upstairs. She stopped in her tracks and saw his pain medication on the coffee table. She grabbed the bottles and brought them up too. When she got to Sawyer's room, he was sitting up, _smoking_. She sighed.

"Only _you_ would smoke when you're sick."

"Makes me feel better."

She set the tea and medication on the night table next to him and pulled the cigarette from his fingers.

"I highly doubt that," she said, putting it out.

She sat on the bed next to him. He scowled at her, shocked that she just did that. He sighed and took one of the bottles of medication. He started to turn it, but couldn't open it. What happened to his strength? She took the bottle from him and opened it with ease.

"I loosened it up for you," he said sulkily, snatching the bottle from her.

She laughed. "Okay."

"I ain't gonna let a little cold keep me from doin' anything, you know."

"No. You're going to stay in bed today and get _better_."

"By myself?"

She saw his distressed face and a smile spread across her face. He was adorable when he was desperate. She was glad he didn't want to stay by himself. If he had, she didn't know what she'd do all day, especially if she had to be stuck with Allison _and_ Jack.

"I'll stay if you want."

She could see his expression change to relieved, and that made her smile. He pushed his pillows up against the headboard so he could sit up.

"Drink the tea. It'll make you feel better," she told him.

"You put any honey in it?" he said, holding the mug.

"No," she said, hesitantly.

"Good," he said, taking a sip. "Mmm," he moaned lightly, and leaned his head back, closing his eyes.

She smiled. Sometimes even _she_ couldn't believe he was the stubborn man that he was when he looked as adorable as that. Exhaustion strangely overwhelmed her and she laid back, sinking her head into the pillows. She pulled the blankets over her and Sawyer and fell into a quick sleep.

Sawyer woke up hours later, feeling very wet and hot. _Sweat_. He sighed.

"Happy now, princess?" he said softly.

He tried to sit up but something was weighing him down. When he finally opened his eyes, he realized Kate was lying in his arms, asleep. He smiled to himself, and gently moved her off of his chest and onto the bed. He got out of bed and went to the bathroom. He felt a lot better now. No longer dizzy, he splashed some water on his face. He returned to his bedroom minutes later, and Kate was exactly the way he'd left her. _Cute_. It didn't fit her, normally, but now, there was no better way to describe her. He turned and left quietly, careful not to wake her.

When he got downstairs, he stopped before turning to go into the kitchen. He could hear sounds coming from it, but was barely able to hear. He got closer and peered in at the doorway. Jack and Allison were sitting next to each other, in a close manner. From the looks of it, they were flirting. Come to think of it, who better than he knew when Allison was flirting? He walked in casually, and they quieted, looking up at him.

"Feeling better?" Allison asked.

"Yep," he said, getting a can of beer from the fridge.

"I wouldn't drink that while you're still on the medication," Jack advised.

"Is it gonna kill me?"

"Well, no, but – "

"Then it ain't nothin' to me," he said, opening the can and taking a long swig.

"So where's Kate?" Allison asked.

"Sleepin'."

"Shouldn't that be _you_?"

"I got a cold. Ain't gonna let somethin' that small control me."

"No. Of course not," Allison said bitterly.

Sawyer leaned back against the counter taking another drink.

Meanwhile, upstairs, Kate finally woke up. She sat up, bewildered to see Sawyer was gone, and suddenly felt extremely hot. But when she looked in the mirror, she saw – aside from her mussed hair – that she was shivering. _Oh god_, she thought. She tried to swallow but her throat felt tight and sore. She lay back into the mound of pillows again, groaning.

"Sawyer!" she called in a raspy voice, annoyed. "I am going to _kill_ you!"

Sawyer put down his can. He looked at both Jack and Allison and put on a grin.

"My lady's callin'."

He hurried away from them and upstairs without noticing them both glaring at his back. He leaned in his bedroom doorway and saw Kate miserably lying down.

"Before you kill me, you wanna tell me why?"

She sat up, glaring at him, even though she really wasn't mad.

"You gave me your cold."

"_I _gave you it? You're the one who fell asleep with me!"

"You didn't want me to leave!" she argued with a cough.

"You want me to make you some _tea_?" he offered, jokingly.

She groaned and threw a pillow at him. He blocked it with his hands, but was laughing.

"Well it's great to see that _you're_ feeling better," she said, sulkily.

"I'm not, actually. Still feels like I just got punched in the throat."

"You're not getting away with this, you know," she warned teasingly.

"Oh really?" he sat on the bed next to her.

"No sex for you tonight."

"Whoa. Hang on. Why don't we come to some kinda compromise?"

"Nope," she turned on her side, her back to him.

"Come on. Ain't that just a little bit harsh?"

"Nope."

He lied down and pulled her close to him, but she still remained with her back to him. He wrapped his arms around her and she could feel his breath on her neck. She could still smell the scent of his day-old cologne. She forced her eyes closed, fighting the temptation. At this rate, she wouldn't be able to enforce his punishment. To her surprise, he turned her face toward him and kissed her, unusually gently. He broke away, and she opened her eyes slowly to find him staring at her.

"You'll change your mind," he whispered, sending chills down her spine.

It was miraculous that she was still able to feel like that about him when they had been living together for almost half a year. But she couldn't deny liking it. He'd broken through her defense. She turned to face him, deciding to torture him back. Now they were only centimeters apart, noses grazing.

"I'm not so sure," she whispered back.

She let her lips linger above his for a moment, then kissed him. She let him go so far as to start inching her shirt upward, but then she pulled away quickly. He stared at her, stunned. She raised her eyebrows and turned her back to him again.


	39. Chapter 38

Quickie:  
Okay So I finally have everything just about back on track. Again, sorry for the long wait. I'm trying to keep up with it on this site again. Please keep reviewing! ;)

**Chapter 38**

Within a few minutes, Sawyer realized she'd fallen asleep. Shortly later, he too fell asleep, his arms around her. Unfortunately, the day wore away as they slept, and it became the next morning when Kate finally woke up again. She tried to stretch but realized Sawyer had his arms around her. She smiled and tried to slowly turn herself around to face him. Unfortunately, in the process, she hit his wounded side. He let out a shout of pain that temporarily deafened her in one ear.

"Son of a bitch…" he panted.

"I'm sorry," Kate said desperately, sitting up. She started rubbing her ear trying to regain hearing. "Are you okay?"

"What do you think?" he glared.

"I'm sorry," she repeated.

He didn't answer, but got up and went into the bathroom. She watched him sadly. He couldn't possibly think she'd done it on purpose, could he? She got up and went into the bathroom with him. He was leaning over the sink, splashing water in his face.

"Sawyer…"

"They ain't here."

"What?" she said, confused.

"The meds. They ain't here."

"Did you bring them back downstairs?"

"Probably," he said, leaving her in the bathroom alone.

She frowned and followed after him quickly. "You know, I said I was sorry."

"Yeah. I heard you the first time."

Surprised to hear such an angry tone from him, she kept quiet. They went into the kitchen, shocked to find it quiet and deserted. Kate walked to the sliding door and looked outside while Sawyer got some orange juice and his medication. Outside, the ground and trees were glistening with snow. It was beautiful. _The soft, powdery kind_, Kate guessed.

"So much snow. When did that happen?"

"Wasn't there yesterday. Must've been durin' the night."

Kate didn't respond but kept looking out the window. Sawyer could tell that she really wanted to go out there. She was longing to get out of the house. And he wished he could give her that. If it were up to him, he would give her anything and _everything_. He sighed and decided to try to heighten her mood.

"Doc a late sleeper?"

"Why would I know that?"

"I don't know. Weren't you two cozy after I left?"

She rolled her eyes and refused to answer. "He might still have jet lag."

"He _flew_ here?"

"No, he rode here on camel back," she replied, sarcastically.

"Now that'd be entertaining."

Suddenly, Allison's door opened.

"She's up early," Kate noted, dully.

However, that wasn't the case, for after the door opened, the house was flooded with laughter, and not only hers. Both Kate and Sawyer exchanged bewildered glances.

"Good morning!" Allison said cheerfully, coming into the kitchen with Jack trailing behind her.

"Morning," Jack also greeted.

_She's glowing_, Kate noted, suspiciously. Again, Kate and Sawyer looked at each other.

"Morning," Kate said slowly.

After a brief silence passed, Allison said,

"So we were thinking of going out to breakfast. Want to come?"

Kate looked down and Sawyer sighed, rubbing his head. At once, Allison realized her mistake.

"Oh. Shoot. I'm sorry. I didn't mean – "

"No. It's okay," Kate assured her.

"Well, we can just stay here," Jack suggested.

"Oh no, no. You go. Don't let me stop you," Kate told them.

"Are you sure?" Allison asked.

"Yeah. We'll be fine!"

"G'head," Sawyer agreed, realizing their absence would be a _good_ thing.

"Okay." Allison turned to Jack. "I'm just gonna go jump in the shower, okay?"

"Okay."

She disappeared into the bathroom by her room.

"Do you want a cup of coffee?" Kate asked, starting to stand up.

"It's okay. I'll get it," he said, gesturing for her to sit – and she did.

"Cups are right above the pot," Sawyer told him.

Jack nodded and found it. Kate looked over at Sawyer and flashed him a devious grin. He looked at her uncertainly. She only kept grinning. Then she turned sideways on her chair and leaned over the back of it. _What was she trying to do?_

"So Jack, can I ask you something?"

"Of course," he said, pouring the coffee.

"Did you sleep with Allison last night?" she blurted out, trying not to laugh.

Sawyer started to choke on the sip he just took, and was chuckling when he stopped choking. _Who are you and what have you done with Freckles_? he thought to himself. She was grinning, waitng for Jack to answer. He cleared his throat.

"Uh, why would that concern you?"

"No reason." She paused as he started to go back to pouring the coffee. "I was just wondering what all the noise was about last night."

After hearing that, he almost dropped the pot. Sawyer looked at her in disbelief and started snickering again. Jack put the cup down on the counter.

"I'm gonna go get dressed," he said.

As soon as he left, Kate turned back around and faced Sawyer.

"Where'd that come from?" he asked.

"I don't know."

"_Sure_."

"What?"

"I get it. It's okay for _you_ to make fun of him but god forbid _I _do!"

"I wasn't..."

"Ooh!" he looked at her, wide-eyed. "You ain't makin' fun of him! You're jealous!"

"Excuse me?" she said, flushing.

"Yeah. You're jealous 'cause he slept with Ally!"

"Why would I be jealous?" she said, suddenly getting up to refill her cup.

"Jack-O's moved on! And you don't like his attention turned on someone other than you."

"That makes no sense. I said it because he deserved it!"

"Okay," he said, not believing her.

She turned around, getting aggravated. "Come on, Sawyer. Don't do that."

"I said okay!"

"But you don't believe me!" she argued.

"No. I don't. And I ain't plannin' to 'til you admit it!"

"Admit it? But it's not true!"

He smirked, and that made her grow even angrier.

"You're hopeless," she said, turning her back to him.

"And you're jealous," he shot back.

He heard her sigh angrily and chuckled to himself. He got up and strolled over to her, wrapping his arms around her waist and starting kissing her neck. She smiled, despite how hard she fought not to. But she wouldn't turn around. He wouldn't get that privilege. He slid his arms teasingly slow up her body and to her shoulders. She felt a rush of heat for a moment, then he turned her around. _Damn_, she thought.

"Just think," he held her in his arms. "I got you all to myself this mornin'."

"Mmm."

"Got all mornin' to get you to admit it," he grinned.

"Ugh."

She pulled out of his grasp and took her cup to the couch with her. He chuckled to himself and, after a minute, joined her.

"You're jealous," he muttered, teasingly.

"No, I'm not."

"Freckles, you can't lie to me!"

"Just shut up."

"No."

"Why not?"

"Not 'til you admit it."

She sighed. "Fine. If I admit that I am jealous – even though it's _not_ true – you promise to stop?"

He looked and saw Jack coming down the stairs. "You got it, sweetheart."

"Fine," she said, teeth gritted. "I'm jealous that Jack slept with Allison."

Sawyer grinned, and nodded. "Okay."

She looked at him suspiciously, wondering why he was trying so hard not to laugh. Then she saw him glance behind her and her eyes widened. Filling with dread, she turned around and saw Jack standing on the stairs, stunned. Her eyes widened even more, and she let out a small gasp.

"I…forgot something," Jack said, hurrying back up the stairs.

Kate turned sharply back to Sawyer, glaring. She threw the pillow from behind her at his head and he started laughing as he threw it back.

"You bastard," she hissed.

"What'd I do?" he grinned, innocently.

Suddenly, she climbed on top of him and started hitting him all over his face. He, however, shielded his face with his arms, and they were now taking the slaps. He grabbed her arms suddenly, stopping her, and they stared at each other.

"I can't believe you!" she said, pulling her arms away sharply. She sat back in her spot, arms folded.

"Maybe he'll leave sooner now."

"Shut up," she muttered. "His flight's tomorrow anyway."

"Good."


	40. Chapter 39

Quickie:  
So it's not a long one. But I'm working hard to get the next one up soon! Much love to all! 33

**  
Chapter 39**

"You know you can't be mad at me forever, Freckles."

"Oh no?" she said, flipping the channels.

"No. Or I'll have to kick you out," he joked.

"Go ahead," she said, dully.

"You wouldn't leave."

"I wouldn't?" she dropped the remote and looked directly at him.

His grin faded and his face was serious. "Would you?"

She studied his expression for a minute – worried and nervous. A small smile tugged at her lips.

"No."

"I knew it."

She laughed. "You're unbelievable, you know that?"

He put his arm around her and smiled. "Yep."

"Egotistical jerk…"

"Crazy bitch…"

She turned to him, grinning now. "Stubborn jackass!"

"Jealous slut!"

She gasped, shocked by his words. Immediately, he pulled her to him and kissed her, covering up his mistake. When it finally ended, Kate was smiling.

"Good save."

Hearing Jack and Allison coming down the stairs, she straightened back up in her seat and pulled the oversized shirt she was wearing back downward. Sawyer kept his arm around her. As expected, Jack and Allison arrived, ready to go.

"So you're _sure_ this is okay?" Allison asked one last time.

"It's fine," Kate reassured her.

"Go have yourselves some fun," Sawyer grinned, tightening his hold on Kate. _It's a hell of an opportunity anyway_, he thought.

"We'll be back soon," Jack said, avoiding eye contact with Kate.

"Bye!" Allison said, following Jack out the door.

"Take your time!" Sawyer called after them.

The door closed, the house was quiet, and they could hear the car start outside. They turned and looked at each other. Kate let out a sigh of relief.

"So now what?"

"Hmm. I can think of a hundred answers to that question, sweetheart."

She laughed. "Of course you could."

"First off, I think I'm gonna have to…"

He leaned over and kissed her passionately. They sunk down into the couch locked in a fiery kiss. They both knew that they had to seize the opportunity while they had it. So why waste any time? The door suddenly flew open, startling them both. Sawyer fell off the couch, accidentally. Kate bolted up and smoothed her shirt. It was Allison. Just by her expression, Kate knew she'd seen them.

"I forgot my purse," she smiled, trying to act like nothing happened.

Sawyer sat up and hit his head on the coffee table, as Allison passed by the couch.

"Ahh!" he said in a hushed shout, putting a hand on his head.

Kate's face was growing red as she tried not to laugh. She helped Sawyer back onto the couch and bit her index finger, trying not to laugh.

"Is my pain _really_ that hilarious, Freckles?"

She shook her head, smiling. Allison came back down the stairs.

"Sorry," she whispered to them.

Sawyer rubbed his head. "Whatever."

"Okay. Gonna go now," she said, quickly.

"Yeah, yeah," he said, waving her away, as Kate kept restraining herself from laughing.

She fled out the door in a flash. Kate finally let out her laughter.

"Are you okay?" she laughed, looking at him sympathetically.

"Oh I'm just peachy!"

"I'm sorry." Surprising him, she pulled his head to her lips and kissed where he'd hurt it on the table. "Better?"

"Much," he grinned.

She leaned over him and looked at the window from a far to make sure the car was gone. When she was sure it was, she turned her head and looked at Sawyer.

"Comfy?" he grinned.

She turned around and sat on his lap. "Actually, yeah."

"Good," he said, putting his arm around her back.

"Just think. This is what it would be like with her gone!" Kate mused.

Sawyer laughed. "She ain't that bad."

"Is that you defending her I hear?" she teased.

"What're you gonna do about it?"

She went to get up but he pulled her right back into his lap and kissed her. The thrill of the much needed seclusion filled them both. He lifted her shirt over her head as she started to tug his shorts off. Within moments, their clothes had hit the floor. Her dark curls poured over her shoulders and leaked onto his chest. He pulled away from the kiss to take a moment and let himself look at her. It seemed like it had been so long. She watched him curiously. When his eyes met her again, he grinned.

"It's been awhile."

She laughed and kissed him again. The room around them was forgotten, everything blurred. As they thrust together, Sawyer realized why he was in such a grouchy mood lately. But they were quickly interrupted, yet again by a ringing phone. Kate looked at him, questioningly.

"Let it ring," he said, putting his hands on her face.

She smiled and he leaned down and kissed her tenderly. He laced his fingers through her hair and she placed her hands upon his chest. She felt the raging heat of his blood and the pounding of his heart. She took control of the kiss this time, making it more and more intense. Unable to hold back any longer, he plunged and they thrust in a rhythmic motion.

* * *

"Arson," Kate suggested.

"I ain't settin' fire to my own house! You'd have to kill me before you try and do that!"

"Okay. Next option…"

"Assisted suicide?"

"How would that work?"

"We _assist_ in her suicide," he said, as if it were the plainest thing in the world.

Later, they sat together on the couch, wrapped in the blanket that hung on the back of it. They were making suggestions on how to get rid of Allison. It was only out of pure fun, of course. Neither really considering killing the girl.

"Right. Because _she'd_ kill herself."

"I give up!" he said, throwing his hands in the air.

"I think we need inspiration."

"What've you got in mind?" he said, with a teasing grin.

With the blanket wrapped around her, she walked into the kitchen, leaving him alone on the couch. When she returned, she was grinning with a bottle of vodka in hand. He put an arm around her when she sat back down.

"You are truly the greatest woman in the world," he said, pulling her to him and kissing her forcefully.

"I'll drink to that," she said, popping the top off the bottle and taking a swig.

She handed it over to him and he took a drink too.

"You think they'll be home soon?"

"They ain't gonna be back 'til it's _dark_."

"They went out for _breakfast_!"

"Right. And this is _Ally_ we're talking about."

She snickered. He set the bottle of vodka down on the coffee table and was just about to kiss her again when the phone rang. He pulled back, rolling his eyes.

"Damn phone…"

"Let it ring," Kate suggested.

He sat, considering. But the phone continued to ring. Sawyer sighed angrily and got up, quickly putting his shorts back on, and went to the kitchen to answer the phone.

"Hello?" he said, gruffly.

"I'm guessing you forgot to tell her to call me?" It was a female's voice.

"Who the hell is this?" he demanded. But then he remembered.

"Johanna," they said, in unison.

Kate slowly turned her head around and stared at him…


	41. Chapter 40

**Chapter 40**

Sawyer looked at her, guiltily. He'd been so busy being worried while she was gone those few days, he'd completely forgotten that Johanna had called looking for her. God forbid he had made her case worse now, just by doing that. He'd never hear the end of it for this, he thought grimly.

"It's, uh, for you," he told her, holding out the phone.

She walked slowly over to him, and mouthed, "How'd she get this number?"

He shrugged and handed her the phone.

"Hello?" she said, cautiously.

"Oh, Kate. Finally. How are you?"

"I'm…all right. How are you?"

"I'm good, thanks."

"Don't mind my asking, but how exactly did you find me here?"

"Jack."

"Oh," she said. She'd have to remember that while she kicked his ass when he got home. "Right."

"I called him to talk about the case, seeing as he's become a part of it. Speaking of which, we need to discuss it. Things aren't running so smoothly anymore. Is there anywhere we can meet and talk?"

"I'm not sure. I'm kind of nervous about leaving the house."

"All right. Then I'll come to you. But it's going to be a little while. A few weeks, maybe. I have a lot on my dish at the moment."

"That's all right."

"Just be careful. They'll be searching a lot harder for you now. I don't know if you knew, but one of the guys you ran into passing through Texas is in a coma and might not get out. His family's hoping for some serious retribution."

Kate's heart sunk. Just when she thought things couldn't get any worse…

"In fact, we should get off the phone as soon as possible. Who knows who could be screening. Or tapping in, even."

"Oh. Right."

"Don't worry, I'll find out where you are. I have a dozen tricks up my sleeve."

"Okay," Kate said, uncertainly.

"Talk to you soon, sweetie."

"Okay. Bye."

Kate hung up the phone and dragged herself back to the couch with Sawyer. Well this was just perfect. If her case was going as bad as Johanna seemed to think, then she'd have to be on the run again as soon as possible. How was she going to break that to Sawyer? There was no easy way and she knew it would not go down well. Not to mention that_ other_ thing she'd been meaning to bring up…

"Everything all right?" he asked, as soon as she sat down.

"Uh, fine, I guess. She wants to come down to discuss my case," she said, careful not to bring up the coma guy in Texas. She didn't know what his response to that would be, and quite frankly, she wasn't sure she even _wanted_ to know.

"Oh _great_," he said, sarcastically.

"Don't worry. I'm sure she'll find a motel or something," she said, knowingly.

"Or something," he muttered. "My _house_ is turnin' into a damn motel!"

"Well, we don't have to worry about her just yet. She said it'd be a few weeks before she could get down here."

"_Good_."

"But – "

"There's a _but_," he said, dully.

She looked down smiling. "She has a tendency to come early in the morning, and…"

"And?"

"Not leave until dinnertime."

He took a long pause, and his expression exchanged. He looked content, but still tense.

"Maybe I should just kick myself outta my house. Then everyone can come live here like a big happy family."

"Well are you planning to leave me here too, then?" she said, jokingly.

But he didn't realize she was joking. He looked away, not wanting to answer. As much as he hated to admit it, she was _also_ taking advantage of his so-called hospitality, living in _his_ house. No, he didn't mind her as much as the others, but it was still _his_ house, and she _was_ living in it. And while a part of him was saying "Of course I'd take her", there was another part of him that was almost crying out "What're you, crazy!?"

"Sawyer, I was only kidding," she said, seeing his expression.

"Oh," he said, trying not to let his relief show.

Unfortunately, Kate saw the color flood back into his face, and that he let out a small breath of relief. Would he really leave her there? Just like that? She started to feel an ounce of regret, in the pit of her stomach. But she didn't want to get into anything with him right now. Not when things were running somewhat smoothly.

"Maybe I should charge people every time they step in my house," he said, trying to lighten the mood up again. "May as well make a buck or two if I can."

Kate smiled. "Oh I'm sure you have other _methods_ of getting some quick cash," she teased.

"Har har," he glowered.

She laughed. "Don't take things so personally."

"You expect me sit back and _not_ take that personally?"

_Okay, not exactly the reply I was waiting for_, Kate thought to herself. Suddenly he was getting angry at her?

"I don't crack jokes about your past, do I?" he snapped.

Whoa. Where'd that come from?! If he knew she was kidding then why was it becoming such a touchy subject?

"Sorry. I didn't think you'd get so mad."

"I'm not mad. I'm just…" he looked away, sighing exasperatedly.

"Mad?" she finished, with a small smile.

"Whatever. Just forget about it," he said, getting up.

"Where are you going?"

"To the bathroom," he said, starting up the stairs. "_Alone_, if you don't mind."

"Actually, I do mind," she said, wrapping the blanket around her tighter, and quickly following him. "What's got you so uptight, suddenly?"

"Nothing," he said, going up the stairs, faster.

"Was it something I said?" she asked, keeping up with him easily.

"No. It's nothing," he said, getting even more annoyed.

"Does it have anything to do with me?" she followed him as he started to speed walk down the hall. She tucked the blanket in around her chest so it wouldn't fall while she walked.

"Would you just drop it!?"

He suddenly stopped and turned around, which caused her to almost bump into him. She stopped and put her hands on her hips.

"I guess that's a yes."

He looked at her for a moment more, then went into the bathroom, slamming the door closed and locking it. Well, she wasn't letting him get away that easy. She stood outside the door, waiting for him to come back out. A simple joke was turning into all this?

"You can't hide in there, you know," she told him.

"I ain't hiding," he said, his voice echoing.

"Oh no?"

"I'm goin' to the bathroom!" he said, and proceeded to flush the toilet.

_Oh_, Kate thought. She stepped back a bit, biting her lip. Okay, that was stupid. But anyone could've jumped to that conclusion with the way he was acting.

"I really wish you'd tell me why you're so angry with me."

"It ain't you," he lied. Then he opened the door, startling Kate. "It's me."

"Right."

"What? You don't – "

"Believe you? Sorry but, no. I don't."

"Why – "

"Because you didn't get angry until I made a joke about your previous job. Which is exactly what it was, a _joke_!"

"It wasn't that!"

"Then what was it!?"

"Nothing! It doesn't concern you! So just drop it!" he said, his voice rising.

"I don't care if it doesn't concern me! Okay, you don't have to tell me, but why wouldn't you _want_ to!?"

"Because my business ain't an open book! My business is _my_ business!" he shouted.

Allison and Jack walked in the front door, quietly. When they heard the shouting, they exchanged glances.

"Sawyer, I have told you things that I have never – and _can_ never – told anyone else! I've trusted you with things that could possibly get me locked up! And now you want to pull this crap!?" they heard Kate saying, desperately.

"It won't last long," Jack said, softly. "They'll make up in a minute. You'll see."

Allison nodded, hoping he was right.

"I never asked you tell me anything!" he retorted.

She sighed. "That's not the point. I _trusted_ you. Why can't you trust me?"

"I _do_ trust you! It's them I don't trust!"

"Them?" she said, wondering where that suddenly came from.

"Jack! Ally! Johanna! Everyone takin' advantage of my goddamn house! My goddamn LIFE!"

Kate looked at him curiously. What was that supposed to mean?

"And I got _you_ to thank for that!" he said,

"What?!"

"_You _made Ally stay. _You_ invited Jack to stay! And now your goddamned lawyer's gonna be here too! I'm sick of _everyone_ bein' here invadin' my space! I just wanna be _alone_!" he shouted.

"Ouch," Allison whispered.

Jack looked at her, and she could see his sympathy for Kate in his expression.

"Well I'm sorry to have been such a burden," she said quietly, repressing her tears.

She walked back to the stairs continuously telling herself not to cry. Jack and Allison both looked up at her and she quickly backed away and leaned against the wall. _Great timing_, she thought, as she looked at herself in the blanket. Sawyer was already in his room, and the door was closed – most likely, locked. _He did it on purpose_, she thought. Reluctantly, she went down the stairs, still holding back her emotions – and the blanket.

"Been here long?" she said, trying to keep her spirits high when she saw Jack and Allison.

"Not really," Jack told her.

"Good."

She pushed through them both and scooped her clothes up from the floor. She looked at both their shocked faces.

"Soon enough, neither will I," she said. Then she went into the downstairs bathroom and slammed the door closed.


	42. Chapter 41

Quickie:  
So who here wants to murder me about now? Yeah. I thought so. But I'm afraid to report, there's more. **  
**

**Chapter 41 **

Jack and Allison stared at each other, unsure of what to do and not wanting to break the silence.

"Maybe you should talk to him?" Allison whispered.

Jack looked at her like she was crazy.

"Her?" Allison suggested, with a shrug.

"What good would it do?"

"I don't know. Maybe just make her feel better or something?"

"I think I'm the last person she'll want to talk to right now."

"Afraid I beat you in that category."

The sound of a door opening upstairs interrupted them. Then they heard Sawyer coming and the jingling of keys. He was dressed and looked like he was leaving. Feeling the need to do something, Allison stepped in front of him to stop him. He glared down at her.

"What the hell do you think – "

"Where are you going?" she broke in.

"None of your business," he said, in an eerie low voice.

She quickly grabbed his arm, before he could leave. "Well, wh-what happened with you two?"

"_None_ of your business," he said again, sternly.

"I just – "

"You just _what_?" he snapped, angrily.

But then Kate opened the door, now back in her pajamas. She saw Allison's hand on Sawyer's arm, and looked at him. He stared at her, then looked down at his arm, seeing what she saw.

"Are you such a baby that you're going to try to make me jealous by pretending to cheat on me?" she said, almost laughing. With that, she folded her arms.

"Oh_ yeah_," he glared, putting him arm around Allison, pulling her closer. "Without a damn ounce of remorse!"

She stared at him, pretending not to have a care in the world. Allison was trying to pull out of his grasp, but then he pulled her closer.

"'Cause baby you weren't nothin' but a piece of ass!" he said coldly.

Her eyes widened and she felt like he'd just slapped her across the face. Hard. What was _wrong_ with him!? Then, surprising everyone, he grabbed Allison and kissed her forcefully. Allison pulled away with all her might, and he let go, sending her stumbling. Jack caught her and she glared at Sawyer.

"Sawyer!" she said, appalled.

But he wasn't paying attention. He was only focused on the hurt – no, the _betrayed_ look on Kate's face. She was biting her lower lip to hold back the tears. His breathing was heavy now, as his anger rose. Finally, he turned and left, slamming the front door. She stared at the door, fighting so hard to keep her cool. She closed her eyes, and counted to five. One…Two…Three…

"Kate…" Jack started, sympathetically.

She shook her head and ran up the stairs. Another door slammed. And Allison and Jack were left, staring at each other in shock. Again. Once Sawyer's truck had pulled away, Allison sighed and sat on the couch.

"Well it's a good thing we came back, huh?"

Jack laughed and sat with her. "It's probably a good thing we got back when we did. Things could be much worse."

"Ugh. I can't believe he just did that," she said, wiping her lower lip.

"Yeah," he said, glancing away. She smiled.

"Is someone jealous?" she teased.

"What?" he said, surprised.

"Oh relax, Jack," she said with a giggle. "It wasn't even that long."

"I'm not jealous."

"Not even a little?"

"No."

"Well that sucks. I was hoping to be able to make you feel better," she said, playfully.

He laughed. "Well maybe a little."

They suddenly heard a door open, but then it closed again. They looked at each other, and the playful aura disappeared.

"I really hope this blows over soon."

"Mm. I've heard them fight, but never like this." Then she paused. "It _will_ blow over, right?"

He nodded. "I just wish there was something we could do."

A door upstairs reopened and they both looked up to see Kate coming down the stairs. She had her hair tied back, and she was in real clothes now instead of pajamas. Without a word, she walked past the couch and to the front door. Jack quickly got up and pulled her arm away from the knob.

"Don't," he said.

"Jack, let go of me," she said, sounding weary.

"Don't leave. Not yet."

"What's the point of staying? All we do is fight."

"Well I wouldn't say that's _all_ you do," Allison said, from the couch.

Kate rolled her eyes and attempted to pull away from Jack, but he wouldn't have it. She looked up at him, and for a minute, their eyes locked. Allison watched them from the corner of her eye, unable to decide if it was a silent battle, or _one of those moments_. Kate swallowed and looked away.

"I can't," she said in a calmer manner. "My court case is getting worse now. I have no choice. And leaving now is much easier than leaving when we're on _good_ terms."

"Your case is getting worse?" he said, still not registering the words.

She pulled her arm again, getting even more agitated. "Yes, Jack! That's what I said!"

"Why? What's happening?" he said quickly growing concerned.

"It doesn't matter. Oh and by the way, what gave you the right to tell Johanna where I am!?"

"Johanna?!" Allison said, whipping her head around. "Who's Johanna?"

Kate stayed silent for a moment. She _could_ come up with something clever to tell her, after everything that she'd done, and all the misery that she'd put Kate through. No. She wouldn't sink that low. Not to mention Jack was there to correct her anyway.

"She's my lawyer," she said, dully.

"Oh," she said, after a pause.

She turned her attention back to Jack, waiting for an answer. His expression changed, as he realized he wasn't getting away so easily.

"Well she asked if I had any idea of your whereabouts. What was I going to do? Lie to a lawyer so she could sue me?"

"Well it would've been nice if you'd warned me," she said. Then with a small laugh, she added, "And she wouldn't have sued you."

He shrugged and a hint of pink traveled to his face. It was cute, Kate had to admit. But then she immediately kicked herself for thinking that. She'd already been through the whole "Jack experience". And she wasn't willing to do it again. She turned her mind back to what she had to do. Catching him off his guard, she slipped easily out of Jack's grasp and darted out the door. He jumped out of the way of the door swinging in his direction and wound up facing Allison. She got up and ran to get the phone. When she was dialing, she looked up at him.

"Who're you calling?" he asked, his eyebrows furrowed.

"What are you still doing here!?" she said. "You can't let her just go like that!"

She was right. He ran out after Kate as fast as he could. But when he stopped in the middle of the dirt road to look around, she was nowhere in sight. _Where could she have gone?_ he thought to himself.

"Kate?" he called out. "Kate!"

There was no response except for the wind's howling. _Great_, he thought. _A storm's coming._ He looked up at the sky which had suddenly turned a pale grey. A snow storm was definitely on the way. Well that was just great. She'd be caught in a snow storm. What would he tell Sawyer when he got back?

As he quieted his unsteady breathing, he heard someone else breathing close by. He looked toward the woods, listening. As he walked closer, he could hear the breathing become louder. Slowly and quietly, he rounded a tree and found Kate leaning her back against a tree with her eyes closed.

She saw him and her heart raced. She turned to run away again but after only a few steps, he caught her arms. She tried to pull out of his grasp but then he pulled her closer and held onto her shoulders.

"Kate," he breathed.

"Let go of me, Jack," she said, trying to pull away.

She fought out of his hold and started to run but he caught up with her again and this time, his hands found her waist. He pulled her to him and held onto her arms tightly.

"Kate," he said, panting. "You need to stop running."

"Let go of me!" she screamed.

"Kate!" he said, looking directly at her.

She wasn't breathing steadily and was starting to slump. He pulled her into a hug and she didn't object. Instead, she leaned her head on his chest, and the tears she'd been trying so hard to repress finally spilled. He looked up and saw flurries starting to fall. That was kind of ironic.

For awhile, they stood there, and he let her cry as he continuously smoothed the back of her hair. Even when she finally calmed down, they didn't move. She kept thinking what she was doing was completely wrong. But it felt so natural, so _right_. And that's what worried her. This was going back to the way it was on the island. She couldn't do that. And she wouldn't do it in spite of Sawyer. She wasn't going to sink to his level. Besides, Jack had Allison. And they were way beyond this point. _Only friends_, she reminded herself. _Just really good friends_…


	43. Chapter 42

Quickie  
So what you wanted to know is finally here. I know, I know. Took me long enough, right? But hey. These things take time. And this was the place that it needed to be. I know it seems like it was randomly thrown it. Oh well.

**Chapter 42**

When the flurries got heavier, Jack and Kate started back for the house. Relieved that Sawyer wasn't back yet, Kate ran upstairs to wash her face. Jack joined Allison on the couch.

"Everything okay now?" she asked.

"I guess so."

"What happened?"

"Well, I caught her, obviously," he said in a hushed tone. "But she finally cried it out of her."

"Oh. I guess that's…good."

"Yeah. Has he been around at all, yet?"

"No."

"Oh," he said, then paused. "Who did you call before?"

"Well I tried to call him. I thought he still had his cell phone. But it didn't work. I guess he threw it out after we broke up," she said, looking downward.

Jack nodded, quietly and tried to ignore the look on her face. What was she thinking about so sadly?

* * *

_It was raining so hard that she was drenched from head to toe. _Great day to wear a skirt, _she thought. But the rain was a good thing. It washed away all the blood on her and it would wash away any evidence of what she had done. She slowly dragged her feet up the walkway to his door. She really didn't want to have to go to him, especially after he had tried to con her. She was really beginning to love him and it was all an act to him. _That's why you left him_, she told herself. After staring at the door for a moment, she raised her hand and knocked twice. _

He always took a while to answer it. That was because he was probably passed out on the couch, drunk. But this time, it was only seconds after the first knock that he answered. His eyes looked her up and down, and she forgot that she'd been hurt. The rain had numbed the pain and washed the blood. When she brought her eyes up to his, she saw they were wide.

"_Come on in," he said, softly and kindly. _

_She stepped in gratefully. He didn't even ask what had happened. That was one thing she'd always loved about him. He never really asked questions. He'd always let her explain when she was ready. But maybe that wasn't a good thing. Maybe he didn't really care? He sat her down at the kitchen table and went to get a towel. She took the time to look at herself where she'd been hurt. Her arms were scraped down to her elbows and bleeding again, and her legs had bruises of all shapes and sizes. She smiled to herself. _The bastard did manage to get some hurting in_, she thought. _

_When he returned, he had an armful of things, surprising her. He had a few towels, gauze, band-aids and even a bottle of peroxide. Maybe he did care about her. Maybe it wasn't an act…He draped a towel around her shoulders. He handed her the few others to let her clean her arms, and sat next to her at the table. _

"You all right?" he asked, cautiously.

"Fine," she said, simply.

"You sure? You look pretty bad."

"_Thanks," she laughed. _

"What happened?" he asked.

She looked at him. It was an unexpected question.

"Nothing," she shook her head, immediately looking away.

"_Don't look like nothin'. Someone beatin' you, Ally? 'Cause if they are, I swear I'll - " _

"Relax, Sawyer. I'm fine. I can take care of myself."

"_Says the woman with the bloody arms and bruised legs." _

"_It was just an accident." _

_After a long pause, he asked, "An illegal accident?" _

_She looked up at him nervously. Why did he always know? He looked away, already knowing the answer, sighing. _

"Christ. What'd you get yourself into this time?"

"_What do you mean this time? All the other times I was just your accomplice!" _

"_Please. You think I don't know that you been out there connin' guys a dozen at a time?" _

She stopped midway in wiping her arm, and looked away guiltily.

"So I've been trying to make a little bit of cash. What's it to you?"

"_It ain't."_

"_Good."_

"_So what'd you do this time?" he said, with a smirk. _

"Just the usual."

"_Then why are you so beat up?" _

"_Why are you suddenly so curious?" _

"'_Cause I wanna know who did this to you. They ain't gonna get away so easy." _

"_Well forget about it. I've taken care of it." _

"_And what's that supposed to mean?" _

_She finished wiping her arms, and put the towel on the table. She reached for the box of band-aids but he picked them up and held them away from her. She stared at him. _

"_What'd you do, Ally?" he asked sternly. _

She sat back in the chair and looked back at him, challengingly.

"_I killed him," she said finally. _

"Son of a bitch," he said, slamming the box down. "With what?"

"_A bullet to his head," she said, too proudly. "But the evidence has been disposed of."_

"_Do you know what you done!?" _

She plucked the box from his hand. "Don't worry about it. No one will ever know."

"_Yeah, so you think. I just hope he ain't someone important, for your sake." _

_She bit her lip, trying not to be obvious. _

"Was he?"

"_I don't know." _

"_Ally!" _

"_He was a cop! Okay!?" she blurted out._

_He stared at her wordlessly. What in hell had she done…_

* * *

A few hours passed by, and it was well past dinnertime. Kate had resided in Sawyer's room, lying on the bed, trying to sleep. But it was a lost cause. Instead, she just lied lost in thought. Jack and Allison stayed on the couch downstairs, watching TV, and occasionally talking. It wasn't until about midnight that Sawyer finally got in. Allison and Jack watched him while he put his keys on the mantle and hung his coat up.

"Any special reason why you two are lookin' at me like that?" he asked.

They shook their heads.

"Are you all right now?" Allison asked, cautiously.

"Better than I was." He looked around in the kitchen, then returned to the living room. "Where is she?"

"She's upstairs," Jack told him.

"She's been up there for a few hours now. Probably asleep," Allison said.

"She all right?"

Jack shrugged.

"Still hate me?" he asked, running a hand through his hair.

"I wouldn't know," he told him.

He nodded. "Well, I'm gonna hit the sack, then."

"All right," they said.

He headed upstairs and went into the bathroom first. He got rid of his shirt and threw it in the hamper, and left his shoes outside his bedroom door. When he opened the door, Kate was lying in the bed, her back to him. He opened it a little wider to let the light from the hallway pour in, and just looked at her. Things had been going so good too. And he ruined it. Well, she was a part of it too. But it was mostly him. He should've been more considerate, he thought. After all, her case is getting worse, and he knew that couldn't mean anything good. He could be losing her soon. So why was he pushing her away?

He sighed, and shook his head, and went into his room, closing the door behind him. Too tired to even remove his jeans, he pulled the blankets back and lied down next to her. He turned to look at her, wishing she'd turn to face him. But she wouldn't. She was probably still angry with him. He sunk back into his pillows and tried to fall asleep, but it was no use. Knowing that she was upset was driving him crazy. He wanted to fix it. He wanted to let her know that he still loved her and that he hadn't meant anything he said or did.

He turned and looked at the clock – 12:30. A half hour had passed already. And the TV downstairs was off so that meant that even Jack and Allison had gone to bed. He couldn't even go back down and ask them if she had said anything about him, or if she'd ever forgive him. Frustrated, he went downstairs and helped himself to a much needed beer. He opened it, but didn't take a drink. He set it on the counter and walked to the back door, watching the snow fall. Even that reminded him of Kate. How she had made her snow angel, and the snow in her hair. How she was always looking at it, wishing she could go outside.

Finally, he turned away, leaving the beer in its place on the counter and went back upstairs. Then he lied down again and wrapped his arms around Kate.

"I'm sorry, Freckles," he whispered into her hair.

_She probably didn't even hear_, he thought, and closed his eyes, trying to fall asleep. But he didn't know that Kate was still awake. She couldn't sleep either, for all of the same reasons. Once his arms were around her, she felt better. _This_ felt right. More right than Jack's arms earlier. And when he said he was sorry, her heart melted. She smiled, and closed her eyes, putting a hand over his arm, and lacing her other hand through his.


	44. Chapter 43

Quickie:  
So…anyone shocked? Little girls are capable of great things. I'm living proof P Cause my writing is a great thing! Ha! Nah. It's not. I'm only jokin'.  
**  
Chapter 43**

The next morning, Kate and Sawyer woke at the same time. She rolled over toward him, her eyes still closed, and let out a deep breath.

"Morning," he moaned.

"Well," she said, sleepily. She opened her eyes and was inches from his face. "Fancy meeting you here."

"Yeah. I been lookin' for properties in this region," he said, watching her.

"Hmm. Find anything interesting?" she joked back.

"Nah, not really," he teased.

She propped herself up on her arm and looked at him, the playfulness leaving her face completely.

"So where are we, Sawyer?"

"Well, right now we're in my bed."

She rolled her eyes and smiled a little.

"Yeah, yeah. I know," he said, rubbing his neck. "I don't really know where we are, Freckles."

She looked down, frowning.

"Kinda hopin' to put it past us. You know, forgive and forget. That kinda thing." After an awkward silence, he added quietly, "I _am_ sorry."

She looked up at him, and saw in his eyes that he really did mean it. She lowered her gaze and nodded slowly.

"Yeah?" he said, even though he could tell she wasn't happy about it.

"Yeah," she said, quietly, looking back at him.

They both looked away from each other. Both knew that things would never be the same. Or at least not for a while. There was still tension. Kate got up, sighing and went into the bathroom. He got up too, but went downstairs instead. Allison was there, drinking her usual cup of coffee, but he was surprised that Jack wasn't there with her.

"Hey," Allison greeted.

"Hey."

After filling his own cup, he leaned back on the counter, the cold metal rim sending a jolt through him.

"So how go things?" she asked.

"Tell ya the truth, I really don't know. What about you?"

"What _about_ me?"

"Where's Doc?"

"Still asleep," she said, looking away.

"Trouble in paradise?" he grinned.

"No. Not at all."

"You didn't wake him up?"

"Maybe I wanted to be alone," she said, quietly.

"That's a first."

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, her eyes narrowing.

"Please. You always came runnin' back to me."

"I don't know why," she said coldly. "I don't know why I'm still talking to you after what you pulled."

He grinned and took another sip of his coffee. "You know, I been wonderin' how you managed to get outta there in four years. Lemme guess. You sleep with your lawyer?"

She glared. "No. I was paroled, you dick."

He grinned. Her expression suddenly changed.

"You know I was thinking about it yesterday. While Jack was – " she stopped herself and looked up at him.

"While Jack was what?" he asked curiously.

She looked down. "While he was out looking for Kate."

"When was that?" he asked, putting his coffee cup down.

She saw his jaw clench, and unclench. _Damn_, she thought. _Real smooth, Brennan. _

"Yesterday. You weren't around."

"Why was he lookin' for her?" he said, starting to feel tense.

"She tried to leave."

He walked over to the sliding door and leaned on one side. "She say why?"

"Well…yeah."

After a minute or two of silence passing, he turned his head and glanced at her. She knew he wanted more than that but really wished she didn't have to go on. Kate, meanwhile, was hiding outside the kitchen doorway, listening. Making an appearance now would just make things worse.

"She thought it'd be easier to leave while she was on bad terms with you rather than good."

His jaw clenched again. Even without having to see them, Kate knew his eyes were ice cold.

"Look, she's back now. You don't even have to worry about it anymore."

He turned around immediately. "I've had to worry about it ever since she stepped foot in this house!"

Kate stepped back and leaned against a wall. She took a few deep breaths, but it didn't help.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything. Me and my big mouth, always getting in the way of things," Allison said.

"No. It's a good thing you told me. Anything else I should know? 'Cause you may as well just make me feel as bad as you possibly can while you're at it."

Kate finally walked into the kitchen, pretending not to have heard anything. Allison and Sawyer said nothing. He watched her pouring herself a cup of coffee and then she stood the same exact way as he did against the counter. He tore his eyes away from her and looked back outside.

"Good morning," Kate said.

"Morning," Allison said, in a whisper. She then cleared her throat and said, "I'm going to get Jack."

She left, and neither Kate nor Sawyer moved.

"You all right?" she asked, quietly.

"Fine," he lied.

She took a sip of her coffee. "Sawyer?"

She waited the few minutes it took for him to actually look at her. His eyes were cold, but sad.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

He looked at her awkwardly.

"For making you feel like you've had to worry about me leaving all the time." She took a step toward him. "I've never wanted you to feel like you'd lose me. And I wish I could say you won't. It's just…I can't guarantee my life to you."

He wanted to look away, but he was trapped in her eyes. Her words and tears were genuine. He went to her and put a gentle hand on her arm. She backed away and looked down, her eyes closed, but tears still pouring.

"Please don't touch me," she whispered.

She turned her back to him and stood in the kitchen doorway. He went over to her again and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey," he said quietly, then turned her around putting his other hand on her other shoulder. "Don't worry about it, okay?"

Slowly, she brought her eyes up to his and nodded.

"We'll figure somethin' out. And you got a heck of a lawyer, right?"

She laughed. "You could say that."

"No more cryin'," he said, wiping her tears with his thumbs.

She nodded and he let go of her. She wished he hadn't but she wouldn't argue now. As if on cue, Allison and Jack came in, fingers laced. Kate turned around to hide her face, and wipe the rest of her tears.

"Good morning," Jack said to them both.

Sawyer nodded and Kate turned around and smiled. Everyone was quiet and well aware of all the tension in the room. Allison felt the need to lessen it so she started up a conversation.

"So…Jack and I have been talking things over and we came up with a few things."

Sawyer turned around and joined Kate in looking at them curiously.

"Well, we decided that I would go with him when he goes back to LA," she said, holding Jack's arm now. "From there, I can go wherever. Or I can hang around and bother him," she smiled up at him.

Sawyer grimaced. Something was definitely wrong with that picture. It made him feel queasy. When he glanced at Kate, she was just as sickened.

"Well…that sounds good," Kate said, putting on a fake smile. "I'm glad you two were able to work that out."

Sawyer snickered, shaking his head. But hell! He was glad too. At least they wouldn't have to do anything illegal to get rid of her.

"So when's the flight?" Sawyer asked anxiously.

Kate rolled her eyes. Typical Sawyer, she thought.

"Uh, well it's tomorrow actually," Jack said.

"Oh," Kate said, taken aback. "Really?"

"Yeah. Came sooner than we thought huh?" he said with a friendly smile.

"Yeah," she smiled back.

Sawyer grunted. "Took too long if you ask me," he said.

Kate's eyes narrowed slightly and she looked away from him. Sometimes he was really a jackass.

"Well you'll be glad to get rid of us both then, won't you?" Allison retorted.

"You want the truth?" he smirked.

"Forget it."

"You'll probably be doing a lot of packing today, right?" Kate asked.

"Yeah," Jack replied. "I guess."

"If you want, I could help," she offered, glancing at Sawyer from the corner of her eye.

"Well, sure."

Sawyer glared at Kate's back. _Bitch_, he thought.


	45. Chapter 44

Quickie:  
This is a long one. Join me now as we all say a fond farewell to couple that came outta nowhere!

**Chapter 44**

After a small and quiet breakfast, Jack headed upstairs to start packing his things. Kate waited a few minutes for Sawyer to say something to keep her from helping him, but he didn't. So instead, she went upstairs to help Jack, as promised. Sawyer was left with Allison.

"You believe her?!" he said, shaking his head in disbelief.

"What do you mean?"

"Goin' to _help_ him," he snorted.

"Jealous, are you?"

"Yeah right."

"That's a yes."

"I mean what the hell has she gotta help him for? He can do it himself."

"Why do you _care_? You don't see me flipping out about it," she said, stealing one of his cigarettes and positioning it between her fingers.

"That's 'cause you don't know what could happen with them both alone together."

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?" she said, snapping the lighter she'd just used down.

"Just that it's happened before, it could happen again."

"What could?"

"Please. They have a past."

"Well…yeah, I know that. But what's that got to do – "

"Well it all started with them when I caught 'em kissing while I wasn't around. Weren't for that, maybe things would be different now."

"I don't believe that," she said, rolling her eyes and letting out a cloud of smoke.

"No? Well you can ask Jack yourself on the ride to LA. He ever tell you 'bout his girl Ana-Lucia?"

"Ana-who?"

"He cheated on Kate with her," he told her, taking a cigarette himself. "Freckles found him in bed with her one night."

"You're kidding."

After he paused to light his cigarette and take a drag, he said, "I don't _kid_."

_Great_, she thought. Now he poured all his panic and worry into her. _And jealousy_, she shamefully admitted. And he probably did it on purpose too. Just to make her feel bad. Stupid bastard. But…what _could_ they be doing up there?

* * *

Kate sat on the bed folding some of Jack's clothes to put into his suitcase. They were both quiet, unsure of what to say to each other.

"Happy to be leaving?" Kate finally said, with a smile.

He laughed. "Yeah. I have to say, it'll be good to sleep in my own bed again. Not to mention all the work I've probably missed."

She nodded, her smile slightly fading. But then she smiled again, glancing up at him.

"So you and Allison, huh?" she teased.

"Yeah," he grinned, his face turning shades of pink. "Who would've thought…"

"What happened to Ana-Lucia?"

He looked at her quickly, then away. _Hmm. Bad subject?_ Kate wondered.

"Things, uh, didn't quite work out."

"Oh. Sorry."

"So how are things with you and Sawyer now?"

"I don't know," she shook her head, stopping midway in folding. "There are still things between us that aren't really settled."

"Well I'm sure you'll work things out."

She smiled weakly and looked away. _Too long to be a coincidence, _she thought to herself.

"Yeah. So, um, you still see anyone from the island?" she said, trying to change the subject.

"Every now and then. Charlie I see a lot of. And Sayid."

"How are they?"

"They're good. Haven't changed much. You know, Charlie's always talking about his band."

She laughed. "Did it really go platinum?"

"What?" he asked, confused.

"I just remember when we were on the island he was talking about his band going platinum because everyone thought he was dead," she said with a small smile in reminiscence.

"Oh."

"Hey Jack?" she said, looking down at the patterns on the bedspread.

"Yeah?" he said, looking over at her.

"I, um," she laughed nervously. "I never said thank you."

"For what?"

"For coming and getting me yesterday. I don't know if I would've come back otherwise."

He sat next to her on the bed and looked down at his feet. "It was too dangerous for you to be out there." He paused and looked at her again. "I didn't want you to get caught."

"I know." She sighed. "So, you're leaving tomorrow…"

He nodded. "I'll call every now and then. Check up on you."

She smiled. "You're a good friend, Jack."

Then she did something that neither of them expected. She leaned over and hugged him. And he hugged her.

"Take care of yourself, Kate."

"Trust me, that won't be a problem."

The rest of the day sped by quickly, and the next morning came even quicker. Jack and Allison were all packed, and Sawyer was never more ready to see them go. But Kate insisted they ate breakfast first. She even offered to cook. But after her hour of cooking and eating, and making small talk – basically, stalling - they were all outside, getting ready to say goodbye.

"So admit, it, Sawyer. You'll miss me," Allison said, with a playful smile.

"Nah. If I did that, I'd be lyin' to us both."

"Funny."

He grinned and raised his eyebrows once.

"Well I'm not gonna miss you either."

"Good."

"Yeah. I wouldn't miss you in a million years."

"All right, then."

"Jerk."

"Done yet?"

"No," she said, folding her arms looking away. "Bastard."

He grinned, looking away.

"Jackass."

"All right, now that you cleared that bit up – "

Then she turned around and leaned close to him looking up at him from beneath her lashes. He looked down at her, confused. She punched his wounded side and he let out a yelp of pain.

"Now I'm done," she smiled sweetly.

"Bitch," he muttered, holding his side.

Meanwhile, at the trunk of Jack's car, Kate was helping him put his and Allison's stuff inside.

"So this is it," she said, as he slammed the trunk closed.

"Yeah."

"So don't be a stranger okay?" she smiled.

"All right," he laughed. "Can't guarantee anything with Sawyer though."

"It's understandable," she laughed.

What was wrong with her?! she was thinking. She was standing there almost flirting with Jack! It was de ja vu all over again. She couldn't do this again. She shook her head, trying to get it out of her. She tried to think of Sawyer, but anytime she did, she got angry. And then she'd think of Jack. Jack. Maybe _he_ was why…

"So, take care," he said, with a hug.

She hugged him back, seeing Sawyer over his shoulder. He wasn't too thrilled with the hug. Why did that make her want to laugh maliciously? After a moment, she and Jack broke apart. Allison was already at Jack's side and Sawyer was strolling over.

"Peace?" Allison said, offering a hand out to Kate.

Kate smiled and shook it. "Yeah."

"You going to tell me another story about my father this time?" Jack joked.

"Nah. I ain't got anymore stories. But you be careful with her. She's a menace," he said, winking at Allison.

That made Kate angry too. Where was all the jealousy coming from? And the sudden hate for Sawyer? And need for Jack? Jack needed to go, _now_. All the anger building up in her was making her dizzy. At that moment, Jack and Allison said goodbye and got into the car. Kate and Sawyer walked back to the front door and stood to watch them drive away.

"Good-bye and good riddance," he said.

The car started, but then it turned off. Sawyer and Kate exchanged worried glances. They heard Jack try to start the car twice and it failed both times. He finally got out and starting walking to them. They met up somewhere in the middle.

"Out of gas," Jack explained, unhappily.

"But the nearest gas station is four miles from here," Kate said, feeling a panic rise in her.

And then that's when she realized it. _Jack_. She and Sawyer never fought as much as they did when Jack was there. And she only wanted Jack when she was angry with Sawyer, because when she was with Jack, she wanted Sawyer. _Jack_ made her want Sawyer. It made no sense, but it made all the sense in the world - in some unusual way. She didn't want Jack. She didn't like Jack. Not like that. She wanted Sawyer. She smiled to herself, pleased with her inner discovery.

She realized she was still outside, standing with Jack, Allison and Sawyer by the fuel-less car. That's right! He couldn't miss his flight! He had to go, _now_!

"I know. Maybe I can walk it."

"Are you crazy? In this weather!?" she said, gesturing to the light snow still falling.

"Well I don't know what else to do!"

"When's your flight?" Sawyer asked.

"In an hour."

"No. You ain't walkin' that and makin' it back in time."

"I'll have to reschedule then."

NO! Sawyer almost shouted. Instead, he got an idea.

"No, you won't."

"He won't?" Kate and Allison said in unison.

"No. C'mon, Doc. I got some fuel in my shed. We'll get that car of yours all gassed up and you and your lady'll be out of here in a jiffy."

"Oh. Well…thanks Sawyer," he said, surprised.

He looked at Kate, who was just as surprised. Apparently, he was just as desperate as she was to get rid of him. While the boys went in the back, Allison leaned on the back of the car, picking at her nails. Kate sat on the stoop, thinking – thinking about Sawyer. She couldn't take anymore fighting with him. They might've fought before, but now it was just every little thing bothered him, and the quarrels only got worse. That argument they had yesterday was over a big fat nothing!

Maybe things would be better with Sawyer once Jack left. Maybe he was the invisible factor that was making things strange between her and Sawyer all along. Well…one of the two, anyway. Plus, there seemed to still be things between her and Sawyer that might never be settled. And as long as that continued, how much more would build up until one of them would get sick of the other? If it hadn't already…

She knew what she had to do. She had to bring everything out in the open. And that meant _everything_. No more secrets. No more insecurities. And she had to make him come out of the shadows too. If they were going to make this work, they'd both have to put some effort into it. But the question was, how? And when? And what would Sawyer's reaction be to everything?

Speaking of him, he and Jack were coming back now, each armed with two big plastic containers of fuel. _So he stocked up on fuel and not food. _She shook her head with a smile._ Doesn't matter if I starve to death as long as my truck's got a full tank of gas,_ she silently mocked him. After watching them pretend to be men for a few minutes, she walked over as Sawyer got up.

"She's good to go," he sat, patting the top of the car.

"Thanks again," Jack said, standing by the door.

"Have a safe trip," Kate told them both.

"Yeah. Wouldn't want you to wind up on some deserted island," Sawyer joked.

"All right," Jack laughed.

"And you," Sawyer looked at Allison, seriously. "You keep your mouth shut, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. I got it."

Kate smiled to herself. That sounded like a hint of her Sawyer coming back…

Jack shut his door and started the car. He and Allison waved goodbye and Kate and Sawyer watched until the car was gone. Hand in hand, fingers laced, they walked back to the house. Kate let out a big sigh of relief.

"So now what?" she asked as they stopped back on the stoop.

"You hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"Exactly," he grinned. "Silence at last."

Then he picked her up, an arm around her back and the other under her legs, and kicked the door open.

"What are you doing?" she laughed.

"Celebrating," he said with a sly grin.


	46. Chapter 45

Quickie:  
So, as we say bon voyage to Allison and Jack…well…you'll see. :D  
no spoilers from me! Nyah nyah.

**Chapter 45**

The next morning, Kate awoke before Sawyer and snuck quietly downstairs. She waited on making breakfast, unsure if Sawyer would even be hungry for it yet, considering he'd take his sweet time just to wake up. Instead, she surprisingly found a book, and lied on the couch, reading it, holding it high above her head. Sawyer quietly came down the stairs, and saw her reading. Apparently, she was really into the book because she hadn't even heard him. He watched her, for a moment, then climbed on top of her and kissed her good morning. She tossed the book aside and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Morning," he murmured, when they finally broke apart.

"Morning," she whispered back.

"Sleep well?"

"Very."

"House ain't ever been so quiet," he said, sitting up off of her now.

She laughed and sat up too. "It's only because we're used to so much noise being made now."

"Well, I ain't gonna miss 'em."

"Me either."

He grinned. That was something he didn't hear every day. But it'd be nice to.

"So what's for breakfast?" he asked.

"Breakfast? Were you actually expecting it?"

"You didn't make anything?"

"I didn't think you'd be up so early."

"Tell ya the truth, I didn't think I would be either. After all that celebratin'…"

She rolled her eyes, ignoring the comment. "Well I didn't make anything except coffee. I could make you something, if you really want me to."

"Nah. Don't worry about it. Ain't hungry anyway."

"Unbelievable," she said with a smile.

"So…" he said, putting his arm around her.

"So…Maybe we could try _doing something_ today."

"Like what?"

"I don't know. No ideas?"

"Baby, I could think of dozens of things to do. I just wouldn't know which to choose," he grinned cunningly.

She rolled her eyes. "I should've seen that coming."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You realize that you can't even go a single minute without being a pig?" she pointed out.

"I can too!" he argued.

"No, you can't!" she laughed. "You haven't even been awake five minutes and you're already starting!"

"So?"

"_So?_ You can't go one day, let alone one _minute_, without being perverted."

"You wanna bet?"

She stared at him, her eyes lit with amusement. Suddenly, she got an idea and a clever smirk spread across her face.

"Yeah. I do."

"You do?" he said, taken aback.

"Yeah. But let's make it interesting."

He grinned. "All right, sassafras. What've you got in mind?"

"I bet that you couldn't go a whole week without saying something perverted or obscene."

"A week?" he said dully.

"Yeah."

"That's all?"

She stopped to think. She should add more, she thought. Make things as interesting as they could get.

"No. I bet you can't even be a _well mannered person_ for the whole week."

"What the hell's that supposed to mean? A 'well-mannered person'?"

"It means you have to be polite, no crude comments – and that includes the perverted ones -, no drinking, no smoking, and…" she paused to laugh at the stunned look on his face. "No sex," she said, drawing out each word.

He was speechless, and his eyes were wide. _There's no way he could do it_, she thought, holding back a laugh.

"And what's in it for me?" he said, folding his arms.

"Hmm." She hadn't thought that far yet. "How about…the loser has to…do everything the winner says, for the next week."

She watched his expressions change as he thought it over.

"You know, that's a really crappy deal, Freckles."

"Not if you win," she said in a low flirtatious tone. "Just think of all the things you could make me do."

He quieted again, sitting in thought.

"So if I do this, and I win, you'll do anything I say?"

"That's right."

"_Anything_?"

"Anything."

He paused, and his face filled with distress. "No sex?"

She laughed. "No."

He sighed. Then he looked at her again, with another sly grin. "And that means no sex for you either."

"I know."

"But what if you gave in before me?"

"What?" she laughed.

"You heard me."

"Sawyer, I, unlike you, can go a week without sex. Trust me."

"All right. I'll hold you to that. If you can't, then I win."

She shook her head, still grinning.

"Hey. You're the one that wanted to make things interesting. So, we gotta deal?" he said, holding out his hand.

She looked at it, and laughed, rolling her eyes. "You're on."

"May the best man win."

"Or woman."

They shook hands, sealing the deal. _This'll be fun, _Kate thought.

"So when's it start?"

"Right now."

"Now?"

"Now."

"All right."

She moved closer to him and started reaching her hand down his back.

"What the hell are you doin'?!" he said, watching her curiously.

"Sit up," she told him, pushing his back forward.

When he did, she pulled the crumpled package of cigarettes from his back pocket and shook it in front of his face.

"No cheating."


	47. Chapter 46

**Chapter 46**

Day 1: (nighttime)  
  
So far, Sawyer was doing a pretty good job of keeping to his side of the bet. He hadn't said anything rude all day long, and no cigarettes or liquor was touched. But Kate could see clearly that he was fighting hard. Getting an idea of her own, she went upstairs, leaving him on the couch watching TV. When a commercial came on, he realized it was quiet.

"Hey, Freckles! Where'd you go!?" he called out.

"I'm up here," she called back.

"Doin' what!?"

"Hold on. I'll be right down!"

He sighed. If there was one thing he hated, it was waiting. But what else could he do? He couldn't smoke, he couldn't drink. He couldn't have any of his vices. When he finally heard the stairs creak, he got up.

"'Bout time. What have you been – "

He stopped midway in his sentence and stared in awe. Suddenly, his pulse was speeding. Kate was wearing a short, skimpy white satin robe, bearing her legs and thighs. She had it tied just right so that the top formed a V around her neck, that went down lower than she probably preferred.

"What?" she asked, grinning innocently.

He swallowed. "Where'd you get that thing?"

"Oh, this?" she said, tracing the inside of the V with her index finger. "I've had it. Just never worn it."

Then she passed by him, her thigh brushing his hand, which he forced at his side. He watched her go into the kitchen with a craving. He let out a deep breath and sat back on the couch. _Damn_, he thought wishing the bet was over already.

Day 3:

It was near lunch time and Kate was walking around the house in only a short t-shirt and her panties. Sawyer knew this was only because of the bet. But he wouldn't let it bother him. To take his mind off things, he went out to the shed and started to gather some wood to bring inside. After a few minutes of stacking them into the wheelbarrow, Kate appeared at the doorway, one hand hidden outside the door.

"Hey there," she said, deliberately flirtatiously.

He looked up and noticed she still hadn't put any more clothes on – or shoes, for that matter. He looked back at the wood, smiling. She was really trying if she was willing to freeze like that all for the sake of winning.

"Hey," he greeted her. "Aren't ya cold?"

"Not really."

He heard something sloshing in a bottle, and when he looked up at her again, he saw her taking a drink from a nearly empty vodka bottle. _Son of a bitch_, he thought, looking at the bottle longingly. She licked her lips after finishing the bottle off. _What a tease_, he thought.

"I've got warmth in a bottle," she flashed a grin and leaned against the doorway.

"Well how about that?" he muttered, directing his attention back to the wheelbarrow.

He lifted it and started to wheel it to the door of the shed. Kate moved out of the way to let him out. After he was only a few feet from the shed, he stopped, letting the wheelbarrow slam down. Kate was still near the door of the shed, watching him inquiringly. His eyes narrowed as he got an idea of his own. He turned around and went over to her, quickly. Just as she was about to ask, he forced her against the wall of the shed and kissed her. He could taste the liquor on her lips and it made him want her more. He let his hands wander, and she started feeling dizzy with desire. Realizing he was getting too into it, he pulled away. She stared at him in shock, gasping for air. He turned away without another word, and picked up the wheelbarrow again. She slumped against the shed, a hand on her head waiting until the dizziness passed. She realized then the vodka bottle had slipped out of her hand. It was a million pieces scattered on the ground.

Day 4: (evening)

Kate was sitting on the couch – _dressed_ for once – watching TV, when Sawyer came downstairs with his coat and boots on. Sitting up straighter, she watched him retrieve his keys from the mantle.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"Gonna run out to the store real quick," he said.

She heard an edge in his voice. "Can I come?"

"Why?" he turned around, looking at her nervously.

She got up and slowly walked over to him.

"To make sure you don't cheat," she said, softly, with a mischievous smile.

"I ain't gonna _cheat_," he said, annoyed.

"But how am I supposed to know that?"

"You don't trust me now?" he said, his temper rising.

"I trust you, just not during this bet."

He grunted. "You can't come."

"Why not?" she folded her arms.

"You ain't exactly in a position to leave the house, princess."

"Look outside, Sawyer!" she laughed. "It's dark. And I'll wear dark colors."

"People in the store can still see you," he pointed out.

"I'll wait in the car."

_Damnit,_ he thought. She had him cornered. There was no other excuse for her not to come, and he couldn't say no.

"Fine."

She smiled victoriously, and after getting her shoes on, followed him out to the truck. The drive there was quiet, but long. Sawyer was gripping the steering wheel tightly as he stared at the car ahead of him. It was going slower than the speed limit, and seemed to be driving Sawyer mad.

"Wanna go a little faster buddy?" he muttered to himself.

"What?" Kate asked, even though she heard him.

"Nothin'."

The driver in front of them suddenly stopped short in front of them, and Sawyer had to slam on his brakes just to avoid an accident. He started breathing heavily, and Kate could tell he really wanted to say something. But she was impressed at how he was holding back. He glanced sideways at her, hoping she wasn't smiling, but to his dismay, she was.

"So, what _are_ you going to the store for?"

Before he could respond, the car ahead stopped short again. Sawyer slammed on the brakes again and his tires screeched. He groaned, clenching and unclenching his jaw. Even after a few minutes, he still hadn't answered her question. But she decided not to push it. She didn't even say anything when he rolled his window and a cool breeze made her shiver. Although, soon, he realized she was cold and rolled his window back up.

For the third time, the car stopped. Sawyer stomped down on the brake pedal once more. He looked away from Kate, not wanting to see her happy smile anymore, even though she wasn't smiling anymore. But he couldn't hold in his anger for much longer. He intended to toss his arm out the window, but had forgotten that he closed it. Instead of his arm going out into the cool air, his fist slammed into the window which then cracked into pieces. Kate flinched and leaned into her door, frightened. Sawyer slowly pulled his hand back in, and saw that there was blood starting to trail from his fingers down his arm. Kate snuck a look at him and saw he was glaring, his eyes ice cold. He was _really_ trying hard all for the sake of a stupid bet.

Pulling the truck over for a minute, Sawyer reached into the glove compartment and pulled a dirty handkerchief out. He slammed the small door closed, but it only snapped back open. Kate closed it while he started to wipe the blood. She looked at him sympathetically. When he was done, he leaned his arm on the side of the door and looked out the window for a few minutes. After exhaling through his nose, he glanced at Kate. Noticing she was staring, he turned his full attention to her.

"_What?" _he asked.

She just shook her head, and looked out the window. This whole bet was starting to get out of hand. He watched her, feeling bad that he couldn't roll his window up to make her stop shivering.

"Sit up," he said.

"Why?" she asked, looking at him curiously.

"Just do it," he said, pulling an arm out of his coat.

She did as she was told while he got the rest of his coat off. She watched, thoughtfully. He draped the coat around her.

"Okay?" he nodded.

She nodded and pulled the coat around her, already feeling warmer. The car that had been in front of them was gone now, and Sawyer finally started to drive again.

Day 6:

By now, Sawyer was getting really pissed without his cigarettes, his alcohol, and _Kate_. She wasn't the same as she used to be. She took to falling asleep on the couch, which was getting really annoying. She was also acting unlike her, and though Sawyer had to admit that it was kind of nice, it just didn't suit her. And he didn't like it so much.

On the morning of the sixth day, he quietly and slowly walked down the stairs. He had forced himself to wake up much earlier than Kate. He went into the kitchen and opened up his liquor cabinet. Everything was still in place. He took down one bottle of whiskey and closed the cabinet, quietly. He peeked out the doorway to make sure Kate wasn't there. Then he opened the bottle and took a drink. Immediately, he spit it out, coughing. Water sprayed all over the countertop.

"What the…"

He looked at the bottle. It was a tinted green bottle that was _supposed_ to be filled with his whiskey. He poured it over the sink and saw clear liquid. Water.

"Son of a…" he muttered, stopping himself before he got caught cheating.

He threw the bottle in the sink, but it broke into pieces and he cursed again. Minutes later, as if on cue, Kate appeared in the doorway with a look of concern.

"What happened?"

"You emptied all my liquor!?" he cried.

His face was red with anger, and he was gritting his teeth. His glare was so fierce, it was scaring her. She tried to speak, but nothing came out.

"I get it's all part of the damn bet. But, Christ, Freckles!" he sighed, angrily. "What the hell were you thinkin'!?"

She looked at him, apologetically. Okay, so maybe that had been going a little too far. But she didn't empty _all _the bottles. Only the ones she knew he'd go for right away. Somehow, she knew even if she told him that, he'd still be pissed. For that reason, she continued to stay quiet. He sighed, exasperatedly again.

"Look, maybe we should just call this whole thing off," she said, leaning against the counter.

"NO!" he said, quickly.

"It's really just starting to get out of hand now, Sawyer."

"You wanna give up, be my guest. But I ain't a quitter."

She laughed. "All right."

"And you're buyin' me all new liquor when this thing's over."

"Fine."

He left the kitchen and she went to the cabinet, reaching into the back for one of the bottles she hadn't emptied.

Day 6: (nighttime)

By the end of the day, the tension between them had lessened. Sawyer had pulled his own taunts with her – walking around the house in just his shorts, kissing her, wrapping his arms around her, breathing down her neck – all of which he knew were tempting her. But she fought like he had. Which was a hell of a lot, if you asked him. But he put up with it. He knew if he won he'd have a blast making her do anything he wanted her to. He had to keep thinking that to keep his mind distracted.

When Kate had announced she was going to shower, Sawyer knew he couldn't let her get away with it. About ten minutes of letting her shower, he went upstairs and entered the bathroom. _Too bad the doors are blurred_, he thought to himself as he walked in, even though he enjoyed the view.

For a few minutes, he went about his business quietly. But then, when she heard something clank in the sink, Kate opened the door a little and poked her head out. Instantly, she regretted it. He was standing in front of the mirror, shaving. While he had been wearing jeans and a worn t-shirt last time she saw him, he now was back in only his shorts. But for some reason, the steam from the shower seemed to make his well-built body glisten. He paused when he saw her reflection in the mirror.

"Somethin' I can help you with, Freckles?"

She smiled. "Ever heard of privacy?" she said, playfully.

This was the breaking point. Now, she knew he'd _have_ to say something obscene. He grinned and opened his mouth to say something, but then his eyes narrowed. He remained grinning, but shook his head.

"_My_ house," he said, simply, returning to shaving.

_Damn_, she thought, sliding the door closed again.

"You know, _I _don't come in and shave when you're in here showering," she said from inside the shower.

"Jeeze, I'd hope not."

She knew he was grinning, and couldn't help but smile herself. She finished and turned the faucets off, then wrung out her hair. She only reached her arm out to grab her towel, although she thought she should've taken the opportunity to tease Sawyer after she'd already gotten it. When she stepped out, Sawyer looked her up and down, then returned to his shaving. She walked over and stood by him, putting a hand on his arm. He looked down at her, having difficulty ignoring the way her wet curls brushed against his arm.

"Just wait until your next shower," she said, then went into his room, shutting the door.

_Lookin' forward to it_, he thought.

Within a few minutes, Sawyer was done, but he noticed his door was still closed. Chuckling, he turned out the bathroom light and went into his room. Immediately, he knew she'd done something. She was kneeling on the floor – dressed, much to his disappointment - looking through her bag. Completely unsuspicious. Then he knew.

"Smells like you in here," he told her.

"That bad?" she asked, looking over her shoulder.

"Nope. Just wasn't expectin' it." Then he added, "Smells good."

She smiled to herself. "Well, it'd better."

He lied down on his bed, folding his hands behind his head, closing his eyes. She continued to fumble with her bag.

"You gonna go run back to the couch now?" he asked dully.

She turned around, wearing a small grin. "I don't know. Might stay here for a change."

His eyes opened as she sat up on the bed.

"I mean, if that's all right with _you_."

"Doesn't bother me," he said, trying to relax and forcing his eyes closed.

After a few minutes, they were both lying in the dark, awkwardly.

"Good night," Kate said, uncertainly.

"'Night."

And then it was silent again. She turned on her side, trying to fall asleep, but it was no use. She heard Sawyer tossing and turning too. At least he was having just as hard a time. She turned on her back again. Suddenly, she turned to face him – or his back, at the moment – leaning her head in her hand.

"This is crazy," she laughed.

He turned to face her too. "What is?"

"I can't fall asleep."

"Then I'm not the only one," he said.

After a long silence, she said, "Maybe I should just go back to the couch."

"If you wanna."

Even though she couldn't see him too well, she knew he was frowning.

"Do you want me to stay?" she asked.

"It's up to you, Freckles."

She looked at him and she was caught in his gaze. He seemed to be too, because he couldn't look away. And then they were kissing – vigorously. Their clothes were on the floor in no time. She wrapped her arms around him tightly, pulling him closer. Together they thrust. They were both panting and gasping for air. But they didn't stop. The passion intensified and they went faster. He leaned down and kissed her, lacing his fingers through her hair. She felt the heat of his blood and the pounding of his heart. The intensity of the kiss sent a wave of dizziness through her. It felt like Spring had come at last, after a long, torturous cold Winter…


	48. Chapter 47

Quickie:  
All righty. Another short-ish one. But that's all right, right? Well it'd better be.

**  
Chapter 47**

Sawyer woke up the next morning, finding Kate lying on his chest. He grinned, and started to smooth her hair away from her face. She stirred slightly, but appeared to not want to wake up yet. She buried her face in his chest, moaning sleepily. He laughed.

"Baby, you're gonna have to wake up sometime."

"Too early."

"It's noon."

"Ughhh…Damnit," she said, drowsily.

She sat up and all the curls Sawyer had just moved away from her face fell again. She looked around for a moment, then sighed and lay back again, pulling the covers up over her.

"Well so much for the bet," she said.

"Yeah. Good goin'."

"Oh, no you don't," she sat up. "You're not pinning this all on me."

"Wanna bet?"

"No. I don't," she laughed.

"That's 'cause you know you'll lose again."

"_You're_ the one who lost!"

"Face it. You gave in before me, Freckles. That's just somethin' you're gonna have to live with."

She rolled her eyes, grinning.

"All right, look. We'll just share the victory, fair enough?"

"I still get to boss you around?" he asked, after a minute.

"How about we each take a week of bossing each other around?"

He paused, contemplating.

"Only if I get to go first," he said, finally.

"Fine!" she said, still smiling. After all, what harm could come of it? Besides, she'd get her revenge when she had her week.

"All right then. First thing you can do is put that sexy robe back on," he grinned, sitting up.

She laughed. "What's the point? It's just going to wind up off again anyway."

"Yeah, but I want you to wear it while you cook me breakfast," he said, teasingly.

He got up and put his shorts on, then headed to the door. He turned around and smirked.

"Then we'll talk about it comin' off again."

He went into the bathroom, leaving her grinning and speechless.

While Sawyer was busy in the bathroom, taking a shower it turned out, Kate had some time to herself as she made breakfast for them. It didn't occur to her until then that she had completely forgotten about all the things she thought about as Jack and Allison left. They'd been so busy with their bet that it slipped her mind. Now that everything came flooding back into mind, she felt sick. All that pain was coming back, from their arguments and from the longing for him. After the good week they'd just had, why did this have to happen? She put the spatula down on the counter and leaned against the counter in thought.

Well, if anything, there was one thing that she was right about. Once Jack left, things with Sawyer got better. But still, there were things unsettled. And they needed to be settled. Soon. She'd already done enough procrastinating. But how was she going to bring this all up to Sawyer without feeling like she'd be hurting him? It was inevitable. One way or another, they were both going to get hurt.

She shivered, wishing the robe was a little warmer. She heard Sawyer coming down the stairs and quickly went back to cooking. As luck would have it, he came in just as she was bending down to get something out of the fridge.

"You could take your time with that, you know," he said, wearing his trademark smirk.

She glanced at him over her shoulder, and stood upright again. After getting what she needed, she closed the fridge and turned to him.

"I liked you better during the bet," she said, only half teasing.

He sat at the table and chuckled. "Well I didn't like _you_ during the bet."

"You didn't?" she asked, but didn't turn around.

"No. You weren't actin' strange."

"Oh," she said, beginning to tense up. Was this going to start the long overdue talk they needed to have now?

"Don't get me wrong, Freckles. Watchin' you parade around the house with barely any clothes on was nice," he grinned.

She smiled to herself and forced out a small laugh, spooning the food onto his plate.

"But it just wasn't you."

She walked over and deliberately leaned over to serve him his food.

"What makes you think you know me so well?" she murmured, her eyes narrowed seductively.

They stared at each other, neither blinking. Sawyer knew she was flirting, but when she finally blinked, her expression changed. He saw sadness in her eyes. When she saw he stopped grinning, she stood upright again, and she rounded the table to go back to the stove. But Sawyer was quicker. He caught her arm and pulled her back gently.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing," she smiled, nervously. "What makes you think – "

"You got this look in your eyes. Like somethin's wrong."

She shook her head. "Nothing's wrong."

He pulled her into his lap. "Don't lie to me. You know what happens when you lie," he said, sliding a few fingers up and down her side.

She smiled and stopped his hand. "I'm fine."

She went to get up again, but he wouldn't have it.

"You ain't gettin' up until you tell me what's the matter."

She smiled and looked at him. Slowly her smile diminished to a frown. She couldn't even look at him without feeling bad. She sighed.

"There's something I should tell you," she said, looking down. "See – "

She was interrupted by a rapid knocking at the door. They looked at each other, unsure of what to do. According to Sawyer's expression, he wasn't expecting anyone. While that had Kate's heart was pounding with fear, she also felt relieved that she didn't have to tell him just yet.

"Should I…?"

"Yeah. Be on the safe side. It's probably no one, anyhow."

She nodded and started for the stairs. Sawyer grabbed some jeans and a t-shirt, putting them on as quickly as he could. The knocking was only getting louder and more persistent.

"Jesus," he said to himself.

When he was heading to the door he saw Kate was _just _getting to the top of the stairs. Why the hell was she taking her sweet time? Unless she _wanted_ to get caught. He wished he knew what she was going to say. He looked into the peep-hole in the door to see who was knocking.

"Hey!" he called in a whisper, knowing she hadn't gotten farther than the hallway.

Kate stopped and went to the top of the stairs.

"Yeah?"

"You know any red-heads?"

For a moment, she was confused. What was he talking about? But then she realized who was at the door. Her eyes widened and she stared at Sawyer. As if reading her mind, his shoulders slumped and he knew.

"Oh, you gotta be kiddin' me."


	49. Chapter 48

Quickie:  
Umm…I think a note here would just slow the reading process. So. No note!  
Oh wait…that's a _note_, isn't it…

**Chapter 48**

"It's definitely a red-head?"

"Yeah. Looks like a bitch. You sure that's her?"

Kate smiled. "Yeah. That's her."

"Should I let her in? 'Cause I could let her stay out there and rot if you'd like."

"No, it's all right. She's no harm."

"Fine. But you take a look at her first before I let her in."

She looked in the peep-hole and indeed saw Johanna, waiting impatiently. Her shoulders slumped. Her being here early couldn't mean anything good had happened.

"What's she doin' here? I thought you said it'd be a _few _weeks. Not one!"

"I thought so too! That's what she told me."

She started knocking again, startling them both.

"Lady sure can pound, I'll give her that."

Kate smiled. "I think it's safe to let her in now, Sawyer."

He hated when she could read his thoughts. He frowned slightly and let her in, while Kate tried to sit on the couch, comfortably.

"And you are?" Johanna said, looking at Sawyer with a glare.

"Yeah. Nice to meet you too," he said, letting her in.

"Kate! I'm so glad you're all right," she said, hugging her.

"Yeah," she hugged her back. "I'm hanging in there."

"Good to hear," she said, finally releasing her.

"So, uh, you're early!" she said, trying not to sound negative. "I thought you said it'd be a few weeks before you could get here?"

"Change of plans." She turned to Sawyer. "Sawyer, I presume?"

"Yeah," he said, clearly getting angry.

"What happened to Jack?" she turned back to Kate again.

_Way to boost the level of tension,_ Kate thought. She snuck a glance at Sawyer and saw he wasn't too pleased with the question.

"He left me," she said, putting it as simple as she could.

"Oh. Sorry about that."

"It's fine," she said, trying not to notice Sawyer's scowl.

"So, I suppose we should just get right down to business, hmm?" Johanna suggested, looking at the both of them.

Kate glanced at Sawyer, then back at Johanna. "I guess so. Why don't we go into the kitchen?"

"All right," Kate said getting up to lead the way. "Did you want a drink or anything?"

"No, I'm all right." She turned around when Sawyer followed them in and gave him a condescending look.

"What?" he said, sneeringly.

"Oh, nothing. I just don't remember inviting you into this discussion," she said, with an edge.

Kate smiled. "Maybe you should go out for a while or something," she told Sawyer, before he was able to say anything regrettable.

"What? You're gonna kick me outta my own house!?"

"It's just for a little while," she reasoned.

"You really think I'm gonna leave you here alone with _her_?" he said, glaring at Johanna.

"Sawyer, stop acting like a baby. I'll be fine. We're just going to talk."

"Yeah, well whatever she's gotta say she can say in front of me."

Now she _and_ Johanna were giving him the same disdainful look. That was an unfair advantage. Who were they to kick him out of _his_ house!? He looked back and forth between them, and finally was caught in Kate's hypnotic gaze. He sighed and pulled his coat from the chair it was draped over.

"I'll be back in an hour," he said in a repressed voice.

"Take your time," Johanna said, as he left the kitchen.

He left, slamming the door. Both Kate and Johanna flinched.

"I'm guessing he's got some temper."

"Like you wouldn't believe."

"So, let's see…"

"Is that guy…is he out of the coma yet?" Kate asked hesitantly.

"No. And we have a name for him now. Coma-guy is David Simmons. According to the doctors, he's in stable condition but no one knows when and if he can wake up."

Kate sighed. "Things just seem to be getting worse and worse for me."

"That's life. What're you gonna do?" she said with a friendly smile.

Kate knew she was trying to make her feel better, but it wasn't working. She wanted to tell Johanna what she should've told Sawyer. But…was that the right thing to do? Or was it the right time?

"All right. Let's see…" she said.

_Apparently not_, Kate thought. Johanna started searching through her briefcase which was overflowing with papers. Then Kate thought of something.

"Any word on what they've got in mind if they caught me?"

Johanna looked up, surprised. She looked like she was about to say something but she didn't. Her expression turned into a nervous sadness.

"That bad, huh?" Kate said, looking away.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It's all my doing anyway."

"But I'm going to help you. So we have to stay positive, okay?"

"Right," she said, with a weak smile and looked down.

"You know, I was kind of hoping Jack would still be here," she said, scanning a few papers for something she couldn't seem to find.

"What?" Kate said, looking up at her immediately. "I mean…why?"

"Well, it's inevitable that he's going to be a part of this case. Everyone already knows that he'd been with you on the island, and they're not going to forget it. It's just lucky that we got to him first before the prosecutors could turn him against you. Aha!" she said suddenly, pausing to pull a folder out. "Anyway, if he were here, it'd be easier to get his input on this and we could figure out his role in the case _and_ what he'd say."

"How exactly did you know he was here?" Kate inquired.

"He called me a few times while he was here. Let me know you were all right."

"Wait," she said, her eyes narrowing, and eyebrows wrinkling. "You were talking to him all that time, instead of me?"

"There were a few things I had to get done before I could talk to you. Things you need not worry about right now," she said, quickly.

"Why wouldn't he tell me that though?" she said, starting to feel annoyed.

"I don't know. I thought he would've."

Johanna continued looking through her folder, and Kate remained quiet. Johanna finally seemed to find what she needed and pulled out a few papers that were stapled together. She placed them on the table in front of Kate, turning the papers around to face her.

"There you go."

Kate glanced down at it. "What is it?"

"A few testimonies of other people on the island with you. That's what I was busy with before I came here. And that's what Jack and I were talking about. He gave me a few names of people who he thought might help."

"You talked to the others?"

"Only a few." She took the papers back and looked through them. "Sayid Jarrah…Sun Soo-Kwon…Hugo Reyes…"

She handed the papers back to Kate and she looked through them. She read their statements slowly making sure she read every word. They were all really willing to _help_ her?

Sawyer, meanwhile, was taking a long drive into town to buy a pack of cigarettes, since he couldn't find his now. He could only assume Kate had something to do with that. Just like she had something to do with getting rid of his alcohol, and inviting people into his house without his consent and somehow managing to actually kick him out of _his _house. What was going on? Was he really going to let her walk all over him like that? Was he going to sit back and watch her do everything she wanted until his house became a damn Barbie dream house? Well…that was a bit of a stretch. At least he knew she wouldn't do _that_.

But if she wanted to, why _wouldn't_ she? There was nothing and no one to stop her. Evidently, Sawyer couldn't. She was capable of things he never would've guessed. And things he probably still didn't know of. She was certainly capable of keeping secrets. There were things he still didn't know, according to this morning. And it figured that just as she was going to tell him, something just happened to interrupt. Of course it had to be _Johanna_ a few weeks _early_! Suddenly the world was just a big inconvenience to him.

When he finally made it to town, he got his cigarettes and a bottle of booze. He sat in his truck for a few minutes, drinking and smoking, waiting to let it all settle. It felt good, and familiar. He'd missed it for that week that he was forbidden. When he started to feel a little better, he started driving again, tucking the bottle into the glove compartment. He spent the ride home remembering Kate's good qualities, and reminding himself that she wasn't doing things in spite of him. He knew she loved him. And he loved her. And he wouldn't want it any other way. Even if this Johanna person was going to be there…things wouldn't change. And besides, she owed him a week of doing anything he wanted…


	50. Chapter 49

Quickie:  
Okay. So guys, I know this is REALLY REALLY unexepected, because I gave no warning. And I know I haven't been keeping up with answering your questions and everything. For that I am really really sorry. I promise that I will in the future.  
Now you're wondering how I can make such a promise? Well...read on. You'll find out.

Thanks to everyone that has stuck around to read this. I appreciate your dedication and reviews. I write for the fans and you have all been amazing right to the end.

**Chapter 49**

Johanna wasn't much trouble for the most part. She came at reasonable hours – surprisingly, to Kate. Sawyer and Kate still weren't on the best of terms. He still wanted to know what it was she was going to say, but decided not to press it. She, however, seemed to be avoiding him at all costs. When he entered a room, she left it. She wouldn't even talk to him for days at a time. And when she _did _talk to him, it was when she couldn't find something, or just to make small talk. When he tried to confront her, she only got angry with him. He gave up on talking to her for the time being, hoping that in time she'd come to him.

But suddenly Johanna showed up at stranger hours. Sometimes, she and Kate would be in the kitchen until the early hours of the morning. Sawyer wanted to know why, but they always made him leave. But after a few days, Johanna suggested he know what was going on, just in case. She told him all about the guys in Houston, the allegations against Kate, but, by Kate's request, she didn't say a word as to why Kate had even been on the run in the first place. He asked what she was doing to help, but everything she told him only made him dislike her even more than he already did. He felt like she stopped _trying_ to help Kate! But she learned that was the way Sawyer was – stubborn and unwilling to believe anything other than his own opinion.

The next day – two and a half weeks after Johanna's arrival – Johanna, Kate and Sawyer were in the kitchen discussing the situation. Johanna had come early waking them both up, obvious that there wasn't any good news. The only thing she had told them was that things weren't running smoothly. After hours of discussion, they sat in silence. Johanna and Kate were sitting at the table, while Sawyer leaned against the counter. They were all quiet, thinking about the same thing – Kate. Johanna sighed.

"It just doesn't look good."

Kate looked down, distressed. Sawyer looked at her, wishing there was something he could do, but she still wasn't speaking to him. As an added misery, she wouldn't even look at him.

"I hate to say it, but I have some worse news," Johanna finally told them.

"What could possibly be worse?" Kate said, miserably.

"Remember I said it was a good thing that we got to Jack first? So that the prosecutors couldn't turn him against you?"

"Yeah. What's wrong with that?"

"Well, they've targeted everyone _else_ on the island that I couldn't get a hold of. They've started to track them down and interrogate whoever may have associated with you."

Kate looked up horrified, then looked over at Sawyer, who was completely oblivious to the conversation.

"Jack just called me last night and told me that they came to him as well. Which means they're still trying to change the minds of everyone I've talked to already."

"But then that would mean…"

She glanced at Sawyer again, who was staring out the window in thought. Johanna glanced too and caught on.

"Exactly."

"I need to leave," Kate said suddenly.

Sawyer immediately snapped out of his trance and stood up straighter. His whole body tensed and he took a step toward her.

"No," Johanna said, which stopped him.

Now both Kate and Sawyer focused their attention on her. She put a hand to her head.

"You need to stay here, Kate. You can't just keep running. It's an unhealthy life."

"As opposed to living in a jail cell for the rest of my life?"

"Well…"

"I can't just give up! I can't give in and wait here until they come to take me!"

"Who says they'll take you? As long as I'm here, they can't. I'm fighting for you Kate, but you have to believe in me. And yourself. And anyone else involved in this case."

Kate buried her face in her hands. Acting on instinct, Sawyer went over and rested a comforting hand on her shoulder. She immediately stiffened at his touch, and he removed his hand. The tension was obviously still there, which meant she was probably still upset with him. He leaned against the counter again, sighing.

"I think I had just about enough of you," he said to Johanna, with a glare.

"Well that's just too bad. I'm not going to be leaving just yet. Perhaps you should be the one to leave."

"Go to hell," he muttered.

"I'm sure Kate would agree with me," she said to him, with a challenging look.

"You happen to forget whose house you're in!?" he snapped, ignoring the comment.

"You happen to forget my occupation, JAMES?"

He quieted after that and the whole room fell silent. The silence was quickly broken by loud knocks at the door. All three exchanged worried glances. Kate and Johanna rose from their seats.

"POLICE! OPEN UP!" came a shouting voice.

Kate's eyes widened. "No…no…no…" she shook her head, petrified. "No…This can't be happening…"

"OPEN THE DOOR NOW!"

Kate instantly leaned into Sawyer's arms, sobbing into his chest. He slowly lowered his arms around her, a bit staggered.

"Don't let them take me," she sobbed over and over.

He hugged her tighter, and smoothed the back of her hair. The wall between them that had been built by all the tension finally disintegrated.

"I ain't gonna let 'em take you," he assured her in a whisper.

He looked at Johanna who was giving him a threatening look and…was that a trace of guilt he saw? He knew what she wanted him to do but he wouldn't do it. He couldn't. He started shaking his head.

"I ain't lettin' 'em in."

"You _have_ to."

"No! I ain't lettin' 'em take her!"

"You want to keep _your_ ass out of jail!? You do as I say!"

He stared at her, wordlessly. She had a point…

"Open the door, now."

He was torn. It was a lose-lose situation. If he gave Kate up and opened the door, he'd lose her. If he didn't, he could still wind up in jail himself, and _still _lose her. It wasn't fair. And with her sobbing in his arms how could he just let her go? He couldn't do it. He'd been so worried all this time that she'd run away, leaving him alone without her. Never did he think she could be taken from him right out of his arms.

"Sawyer, please," Kate whispered, shaking her head. "Don't. I can run! I can…" she trailed into a sob again.

What kind of choice was that!? And with those eyes of hers staring at him desperately, it made it even worse. And then he knew what he had to do…

"Open it!" Johanna said, firmly. "I can help her out of this."

He started to pull away from Kate.

"Sawyer, please!" she cried. "No!"

Feeling the worst ache in his heart and already feeling an eternity of guilt, he went to the front door and opened it, letting the swarm of police flood in. Kate slumped to the floor, sobbing hysterically. How could he? How could he just let her go like that? Didn't he love her? He was just going to let them take her away without so much as a good-bye or an apology?

He watched it all happen so fast, feeling the pain of a thousand knives in his heart. They quickly lifted Kate to her feet and cuffed her, reading her rights. He watched them take her out the door and the last of her he saw was her glaring at him, her eyes still flooded with tears. But then, just as Johanna was about to follow the swarm out, he caught her forearm and grasped it tightly.

"You bring her back to me," he said in a coarse – but wavering – voice.

She only stared at him, sadly. He let her go and she started talking to some of the police. Kate sat in the backseat of the car, staring at nothing, as they talked to Johanna. While they did so, he slowly walked to the kitchen staring out the window at the snow. He thought of Kate again. Millions of images of her passed through his mind. Kate swimming on the island with him, their kiss when he was tortured, giving him a haircut, at his door looking a mess but as beautiful as ever, twirling in the snow, in his stupid robe. Kate laughing. Kate crying. Kate's smile. Kate's eyes. Kate, Kate, Kate.

All those times she'd ran away, and came back. She was like one of those toys – a boomerang. Throw it away and it would always come back. But he'd never thrown Kate away. Until now. And the truth was, she wouldn't come back this time. He couldn't remember exactly what had just happened, but he could still see Kate's eyes looking up at him while he held her, moments before he betrayed her. They were filled with worry, regret, sorrow, pain, and yet hope, all at once. And he let her down. He'd never get those eyes out of his head…….

_Your eyes  
__As we said our good-byes  
__Can't get them out of my mind  
And I find, I can't hide  
__From your eyes  
__The ones that took me by surprise  
__The day you came into my life  
__Where there's moonlight  
__I see your eyes  
__How'd I let you slip away,\  
__When I'm longing so, to hold you?  
Now I'd die, for one more day  
_'_Cause there's something I should've told you  
__When I looked into your eyes…  
_**- _"Your Eyes" _**_(Adam Pascal – Rent)_

**Now that you have finished reading the chapter, and you are all jumping out of your seats going crazy that it could end in such a way, I want to inform each and everyone one of you faithful readers: **_Don't think of this as the end. Think of it as...a beginning... _

Okay so let me stop beating around the bush. Yes, there is more Skate to come in yet ANOTHER story. I'm sorry. I got carried away and I couldn't stop writing. I hope that you'll all stick around to read it. It should be up very soon. The title you'll be looking forward to is: "Once Upon a Second Chance". I hope to see you all there! And thanks for the continuing patronage! ;-)


End file.
